s 


Brewster's   Millions 


OE  CALIF.  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELES 


BREWSTER'S 
MILLIONS 


BY 

RICHARD  GREAVES 


CHICAGO 

HERBERT  S.  STONE  &  CO. 
MCMIII 


COPYRIGHT  1903 

BY  HERBERT  S.  STONE  &  COMPANY 
ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 

Issued  April  20,  1903 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  pAGE 

I.  A  Birthday  Dinner     ....  i 

II.  Shades  of  Aladdin  ....  8 

III.  Mrs.  and  Miss  Gray  ...  -14 

IV.  A  Second  Will          .         .         .  24 
V.  The  Message  from  Jones           .         .  .35 

VI.  Monty  Cristo ^() 

VII.  A  Lesson  in  Tact 62 

VIII.  The  Forelock  of  Time    ....         68 

IX.   Love  and  a  Prize-fight       .         .         .         .76 

X.  The  Napoleon  of  Finance      ...         84 

XL  Coals  of  Fire 94 

XII.  Christmas  Despair  .....       106 

XIII.  A  Friend  in  Need      .         .         .         .         .114 

XIV.  Mrs.  DeMille  Entertains         .         .         .123 
XV.  The  Cut  Direct 133 

XVI.   In  the  Sunny  South        ....       146 

XVII.  The  New  Tenderfoot         .         .        .         .157 

XVIII.  The  Prodigal  at  Sea       .         .         .         .       166 

XIX.  One  Hero  and  Another     .         .         .         .174 

XX.  Le  Roi  S' Amuse     .        .        .        .         .181 

XXI.   Fairyland ig3 

XXII.   Prince  and  Peasants       ....       202 

XXIII.  An  Offer  of  Marriage        ....  212 

XXIV.  The  Sheik's  Strategy      .         .         .         .221 
XXV.  The  Rescue  of  Peggy        .        .        .         .234 

XXVI.  The  Mutiny 243 

XXVII.  A  Fair  Traitor .252 

XXVIII.  A  Catastrophe 263 

XXIX.  The  Prodigal's  Return       .         .         .  .272 

XXX.  The  Promise  of  Thrift   .         .        .        .282 

XXXI.  How  the  Million  Disappeared   .         .  .  290 

XXXII.  The  Night  Before   .         .  _     .        .         .  2QS 

XXXIII.  The  Flight  of  Jones  .        '.         .         .  .306 

XXXIV.  The  Last  Word 315 


2129910 


Brewster's    Millions 


A  BIRTH  DA  Y  DINNER 

"The  Little  Sons  of  the  Rich"  were  gath 
ered  about  the  long  table  in  Pettingill's 
studio.  There  were  nine  of  them  present, 
besides  Brewster.  They  were  all  young,  more 
or  less  enterprising,  hopeful,  and  reasonably 
sure  of  better  things  to  come.  Most  of  them 
bore  names  that  meant  something  in  the  story 
of  New  York.  Indeed  one  of  them  had 
remarked,  "A  man  is  known  by  the  street 
that's  named  after  him,"  and  as  he  was  a  new 
member,  they  called  him  "Subway." 

The  most  popular  man  in  the  company  was 
young  "Monty"  Brewster.  He  was  tall  and 
straight  and  smooth-shaven.  People  called 
him  "clean-looking."  Older  women  were 
interested  in  him  because  his  father  and 
mother  had  made  a  romantic  runaway  match, 
which  was  the  talk  of  the  town  in  the  seven 
ties,  and  had  never  been  forgiven.  Worldly 


2  BREWSTER' S  MILLIONS 

women  were  interested  in  him  because  he  was 
the  only  grandson  of  Edwin  Peter  Brewster, 
who  was  many  times  a  millionaire,  and  Monty 
was  fairly  certain  to  be  his  heir — barring  an 
absent-minded  gift  to  charity.  Younger 
women  were  interested  for  a  much  more  obvi 
ous  and  simple  reason:  they  liked  him.  Men 
also  took  to  Monty  because  he  was  a  good 
sportsman,  a  man  among  men,  because  he  had 
a  decent  respect  for  himself  and  no  great 
aversion  to  work. 

His  father  and  mother  had  both  died  while 
he  was  still  a  child,  and,  as  if  to  make  up  for 
his  long  relentlessness,  the  grandfather  had 
taken  the  boy  to  his  own  house  and  had  cared 
for  him  with  what  he  called  affection.  After 
college  and  some  months  on  the  continent, 
however,  Monty  had  preferred  to  be  inde 
pendent.  Old  Mr.  Brewster  had  found  him  a 
place  in  the  bank,  but  beyond  this  and  occa 
sional  dinners,  Monty  asked  for  and  received 
no  favors.  It  was  a  question  of  work,  and 
hard  work,  and  small  pay.  He  lived  on  his 
salary  because  he  had  to,  but  he  did  not  resent 
his  grandfather's  attitude.  He  was  better  satis 
fied  to  spend  his  "weakly  salary,"  as  he  called 
it,  in  his  own  way  than  to  earn  more  by  dining 
seven  nights  a  week  with  an  old  man  who  had 


A   BIRTHDAY  DINNER  3 

forgotten  he  was  ever  young.  It  was  less 
wearing,  he  said. 

Among  the  "Little  Sons  of  the  Rich, "birth 
days  were  always  occasions  for  feasting.  The 
table  was  covered  with  dishes  sent  up  from  the 
French  restaurant  in  the  basement.  The  chairs 
were  pushed  back,  cigarettes  were  lighted, 
men  had  their  knees  crossed.  Then  Pettingill 
got  up. 

"Gentlemen,"  he  began,  "we  are  here  to 
celebrate  the  twenty-fifth  birthday  of  Mr. 
Montgomery  Brewster.  I  ask  you  all  to  join 
me  in  drinking  to  his  long  life  and  happi 
ness." 

"No  heel  taps!"  some  one  shouted.  "Brew 
ster!  Brewster!"  all  called  at  once. 

"For  he's  a  jolly  good  fellow, 
For  he's  a  jolly  good  fellow!" 

The  sudden  ringing  of  an  electric  bell  cut  off 
this  flow  of  sentiment,  and  so  unusual  was  the 
interruption  that  the  ten  members  straightened 
up  as  if  jerked  into  position  by  a  string. 

"The  police!"  some  one  suggested.  All 
faces  were  turned  toward  the  door.  A  waiter 
stood  there,  uncertain  whether  to  turn  the 
knob  or  push  the  bolt. 

"Damned  nuisance!"  said  Richard  Van 
Winkle,  "I  want  to  hear  Brewster's  speech." 


4  BREWSTER' S  MILLIONS 

"Speech!  Speech!"  echoed  everywhere. 
Men  settled  into  their  places. 

"Mr.  Montgomery  Brewster, "  Pettingill 
introduced. 

Again  the  bell  rang — long  and  loud. 

"Reinforcements.  I'll  bet  there's  a  patrol  in 
the  street,"  remarked  Oliver  Harrison. 

"If  it's  only  the  police,  let  them  in,"  said 
Pettingill.  "I  thought  it  was  a  creditor." 

The  waiter  opened  the  door. 

"Some  one  to  see  Mr.  Brewster,  sir,"  he 
announced. 

"Is  she  pretty,  waiter?"  called  McCloud. 

"He  says  he  is  Ellis,  from  your  grandfather's, 
sir!" 

"My  compliments  to  Ellis,  and  ask  him  to 
inform  my  grandfather  that  it's  after  banking 
hours.  I'll  see  him  in  the  morning,"  said  Mr. 
Brewster,  who  had  reddened  under  the  jests  of 
his  companions. 

"Grandpa  doesn't  want  his  Monty  to  stay 
out  after  dark,"  chuckled  Subway  Smith. 

"It  was  most  thoughtful  of  the  old  gentle 
man  to  have  the  man  call  for  you  with  the 
perambulator,"  shouted  Pettingill  above  the 
laughter.  "Tell  him  you've  already  had  your 
bottle,"  added  McCloud. 

"Waiter,  tell  Ellis  I'm  too  busy  to  be  seen," 


A   BIRTHDAY  DINNER  5 

commanded  Brewster,  and  as  Ellis  went  down 
in  the  elevator  a  roar  followed  him. 

"Now,  for  Brewster's  speech! — Brewster!" 

Monty  rose. 

"Gentlemen,  you  seem  to  have  forgotten 
for  the  moment  that  I  am  twenty-five  years  old 
this  day,  and  that  your  remarks  have  been 
childish  and  wholly  unbecoming  the  dignity  of 
my  age.  That  I  have  arrived  at  a  period  of 
discretion  is  evident  from  my  choice  of  friends; 
that  I  am  entitled  to  your  respect  is  evident 
from  my  grandfather's  notorious  wealth.  You 
have  done  me  the  honor  to  drink  my  health  and 
to  reassure  me  as  to  the  inoffensiveness  of 
approaching  senility.  Now  I  ask  you  all  to 
rise  and  drink  to  'The  Little  Sons  of  the  Rich.' 
May  the  Lord  love  us!" 

An  hour  later  "Rip"  Van  Winkle  and  Sub 
way  Smith  were  singing  "Tell  Me,  Pretty 
Maiden,"  to  the  uncertain  accompaniment  of 
Pettingill's  violin,  when  the  electric  bell  again 
disturbed  the  company. 

"For  Heaven's  sake!"  shouted  Harrison, 
who  had  been  singing  "With  All  Thy  Faults,  I 
Love  Thee  Still,"  to  Pettingill's  lay  figure. 

"Come  home  with  me,  grandson,  come  home 
with  me  now,"  suggested  Subway  Smith. 

"Tell  Ellis  to   go  to   Halifax,"  commanded 


6  BREIVSTER'S  MILLIONS 

Montgomery,  and  again  Ellis  took  the  elevator 
downward.  His  usually  impassive  face  now 
wore  a  look  of  anxiety,  and  twice  he  started 
to  return  to  the  top  floor,  shaking  his  head 
dubiously.  At  last  he  climbed  into  a  hansom 
and  reluctantly  left  the  revelers  behind.  He 
knew  it  was  a  birthday  celebration,  and  it  was 
only  half-past  twelve  in  the  morning. 

At  three  o'clock  the  elevator  made  another 
trip  to  the  top  floor  and  Ellis  rushed  over  to 
the  unfriendly  doorbell.  This  time  there  was 
stubborn  determination  in  his  face.  The  sing 
ing  ceased  and  a  roar  of  laughter  followed  the 
hush  of  a  moment  or  two. 

"Come  in!"  called  a  hearty  voice,  and  Ellis 
strode  firmly  into  the  studio. 

"You  are  just  in  time  for  a  ,,'night-cap,' 
Ellis,"  cried  Harrison,  rushing  to  the  foot 
man's  side.  Ellis,  stolidly  facing  the  young 
man,  lifted  his  hand. 

"No,  thank  you,  sir,"  he  said,  respectfully. 
"Mr.  Montgomery,  if  you'll  excuse  me  for 
breaking  in,  I'd  like  to  give  you  three  messages 
I've  brought  here  to-night." 

"You're  a  faithful  old  chap,"  said  Subway 
Smith,  thickly.  "Hanged  if  I'd  do  A.  D.  T. 
work  till  three  A.  M.  for  anybody." 

"I   came  at  ten,    Mr.    Montgomery,   with   a 


A   BIRTHDAY  DINNER  7 

message  from  Mr.  Brewster,  wishing  you  many 
happy  returns  of  the  day,  and  with  a  check 
from  him  for  one  thousand  dollars.  Here's 
the  check,  sir.  I'll  give  my  messages  in  the 
order  I  received  them,  sir,  if  you  please.  At 
twelve-thirty  o'clock,  I  came  with  a  message 
from  Dr.  Gower,  sir,  who  had  been  called 
in " 

"Called  in?"  gasped  Montgomery,  turning 
white. 

"Yes,  sir,  Mr.  Brewster  had  a  sudden  heart 
attack  at  half-past  eleven,  sir.  The  doctor 
sent  word  by  me,  sir,  that  he  was  at  the  point 
of  death.  My  last  message 

"Good  Lord!" 

"This  time  I  bring  a  message  from  Rawles, 
the  butler,  asking  you  to  come  to  Mr.  Brew- 
ster's  house  at  once — if  you  can,  sir, — I  mean, 
if  you  will,  sir,"  Ellis  interjected,  apologet 
ically.  Then  with  his  gaze  directed  steadily 
over  the  heads  of  the  subdued  "Sons"  he 
added,  impressively: 

"Mr.  Brewster  is  dead,  sir." 


II 

SHADES  OF  ALADDIN 

Montgomery  Brewster  no  longer  had  "pros 
pects."  People  could  not  now  point  him  out 
with  the  remark  that  some  day  he  would  come 
into  a  million  or  two.  He  had  "realized,"  as 
Oliver  Harrison  would  have  put  it.  Two  days 
after  his  grandfather's  funeral  a  final  will  and 
testament  was  read,  and,  as  was  expected,  the 
old  banker  atoned  for  the  hardships  Robert 
Brewster  and  his  wife  had  endured  by  bequeath- 
ingone  million  dollars  to  their  son  Montgomery. 
It  was  his  without  a  restriction,  without  an 
admonition,  without  an  incumbrance.  There 
was  not  a  suggestion  as  to  how  it  should  be 
handled  by  the  heir.  The  business  training 
the  old  man  had  given  him  was  synonymous 
with  conditions  not  expressed  in  the  will. 
The  dead  man  believed  that  he  had  drilled 
into  the  youth  an  unmistakable  conception  of 
what  was  expected  of  him  in  life;  if  he  failed 
in  these  expectations  the  misfortune  would  be 
his  alone  to  bear;  a  road  had  been  carved  out 
for  him  and  behind  him  stretched  a  long  line 


SHADES  OF  ALADDIN  9 

of  guide-posts  whose  laconic  instructions  might 
be  ignored  but  never  forgotten.  Edwin  Peter 
Brewster  evidently  made  his  will  with  the 
sensible  conviction  that  it  was  necessary  for 
him  to  die  before  anybody  else  could  possess 
his  money,  and  that,  once  dead,  it  would  be  folly 
for  him  to  worry  over  the  way  in  which  benefici 
aries  might  choose  to  manage  their  own  affairs. 

The  house  in  Fifth  Avenue  went  to  a  sister, 
together  with  a  million  or  two,  and  the  residue 
of  the  estate  found  kindly  disposed  relatives 
who  were  willing  to  keep  it  from  going  to  the 
Home  for  Friendless  Fortunes.  Old  Mr. 
Brewster  left  his  affairs  in  order.  The  will 
nominated  Jerome  Buskirk  as  executor,  and 
he  was  instructed,  in  conclusion,  to  turn  over 
to  Montgomery  Brewster,  the  day  after  the 
will  was  probated,  securities  to  the  amount  of 
one  million  dollars,  provided  for  in  clause  four 
of  the  instrument.  And  so  it  was  that  on  the 
26th  of  September  young  Mr.  Brewster  had  an 
unconditional  fortune  thrust  upon  him, 
weighted  only  with  the  suggestion  of  crepe 
that  clung  to  it. 

Since  his  grandfather's  death  he  had  been 
staying  at  the  gloomy  old  Brewster  house  in 
Fifth  Avenue,  paying  but  two  or  three  hurried 
visits  to  the  rooms  at  Mrs.  Gray's  where  he  had 


10  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

made  his  home.  The  gloom  of  death  still 
darkened  the  Fifth  Avenue  place,  and  there 
was  a  stillness,  a  gentle  stealthiness  about 
the  house  that  made  him  long  for  more  cheer 
ful  companionship.  He  wondered  dimly  if  a 
fortune  always  carried  the  suggestion  of  tube 
roses.  The  richness  and  strangeness  of  it 
all  hung  about  him  unpleasantly.  He  had 
had  no  extravagant  affection  for  the  grim 
old  dictator  who  was  dead,  yet  his  grand 
father  was  a  man  and  had  commanded  his 
respect.  It  seemed  brutal  to  leave  him  out  of 
the  reckoning — to  dance  on  the  grave  of  the 
mentor  who  had  treated  him  well.  The  atti 
tude  of  the  friends  who  clapped  him  on  the 
back,  of  the  newspapers  which  congratulated 
him,  of  the  crowd  that  expected  him  to  rejoice, 
repelled  him.  It  seemed  a  tragic  comedy, 
haunted  by  a  severe  dead  face.  He  was 
haunted,  too,  by  memories,  and  by  a  sharp 
regret  for  his  own  foolish  thoughtlessness. 
Even  the  fortune  itself  weighed  upon  him  at 
moments  with  a  half-defined  melancholy. 

Yet  the  situation  was  not  without  its  com 
pensations.  For  several  days  when  Ellis 
called  him  at  seven,  he  would  answer  him 
and  thank  fortune  that  he  was  not  required 
at  the  bank  that  morning.  The  luxury  of 


SHADES  OF  ALADDIN  11 

another  hour  of  sleep  seemed  the  greatest 
perquisite  of  wealth.  His  morning  mail 
amused  him  at  first,  for  since  the  newspa 
pers  had  published  his  prosperity  to  the  world 
he  was  deluged  with  letters.  Requests  for 
public  or  private  charity  were  abundant,  but 
most  of  his  correspondents  were  generous 
and  thought  only  of  his  own  good.  For  three 
days  he  was  in  a  hopeless  state  of  bewilder 
ment.  He  was  visited  by  reporters,  photogra 
phers,  and  ingenious  strangers  who  benevo 
lently  offered  to  invest  his  money  in  enter 
prises  with  certified  futures.  When  he  was  not 
engaged  in  declining  a  gold  mine  in  Colorado, 
worth  five  million  dollars,  marked  down  to  four 
hundred  and  fifty,  he  was  avoiding  a  guileless 
inventor  who  offered  to  sacrifice  the  secrets 
of  a  marvelous  device  for  three  hundred 
dollars,  or  denying  the  report  that  he  had 
been  tendered  the  presidency  of  the  First 
National  Bank. 

Oliver  Harrison  stirred  him  out  early  one 
morning  and,  while  the  sleepy  millionaire  was 
rubbing  his  eyes  and  still  dodging  the  bomb 
shell  that  a  dream  anarchist  had  hurled  from 
the  pinnacle  of  a  bedpost,  urged  him  in 
excited,  confidential  tones  to  take  time  by  the 
forelock  and  prepare  for  possible  breach  of 


12  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

promise  suits.  Brewster  sat  on  the  edge  of  the 
bed  and  listened  to  diabolical  stories  of  how 
conscienceless  females  had  fleeced  innocent 
and  even  godly  men  of  wealth.  From  the 
bathroom,  between  splashes,  he  retained  Har 
rison  by  the  year,  month,  day  and  hour,  to 
stand  between  him  and  blackmail. 

The  directors  of  the  bank  met  and  adopted 
resolutions  lamenting  the  death  of  their  late 
president,  passed  the  leadership  on  to  the  first 
vice-president  and  speedily  adjourned.  The 
question  of  admitting  Monty  to  the  directory 
was  brought  up  and  discussed,  but  it  was  left 
for  Time  to  settle. 

One  of  the  directors  was  Col.  Prentiss  Drew, 
"the  railroad  magnate"  of  the  newspapers. 
He  had  shown  a  fondness  for  young  Mr.  Brew 
ster,  and  Monty  had  been  a  frequent  visitor  at 
his  house.  Colonel  Drew  called  him  "my  dear 
boy,"  and  Monty  called  him  "a  bully  old 
chap,"  though  not  in  his  presence.  But  the 
existence  of  Miss  Barbara  Drew  may  have  had 
something  to  do  with  the  feeling  between  the 
two  men. 

As  he  left  the  directors'  room,  on  the  after 
noon  of  the  meeting,  Colonel  Drew  came  up  to 
Monty  who  had  notified  the  officers  of  the 
bank  that  he  was  leaving. 


SHADES  OF  ALADDIN  13 

"Ah,  my  dear  boy,"  said  the  Colonel,  shak 
ing  the  young  man's  hand  warmly,  "now  you 
have  a  chance  to  show  what  you  can  do.  You 
have  a  fortune  and,  with  judgment,  you  ought 
to  be  able  to  triple  it.  If  I  can  help  you  in  any 
way,  come  and  see  me." 

Monty  thanked  him. 

"You'll  be  bored  to  death  by  the  raft  of 
people  who  have  ways  to  spend  your  money," 
continued  the  Colonel.  "Don't  listen  to  any 
of  them.  Take  your  time.  You'll  have  a  new 
chance  to  make  money  every  day  of  your  life, 
so  go  slowly.  I'd  have  been  rich  years  and 
years  ago  if  I'd  had  sense  enough  to  run  away 
from  promoters.  They'll  all  try  to  get  a  whack 
at  your  money.  Keep  your  eye  open,  Monty. 
The  rich  young  man  is  always  a  tempting 
morsel."  After  a  moment's  reflection,  he 
added,  "Won't  you  come  out  and  dine  with  us 
to-morrow  night?" 


Ill 

MRS.  AND  MISS  GRA  Y 

Mrs.  Gray  lived  in  Fortieth  Street.  For 
years  Montgomery  Brewster  had  regarded  her 
quiet,  old-fashioned  home  as  his  own.  The 
house  had  once  been  her  grandfather's,  and  it 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  that  part  of  town. 
It  was  there  she  was  born;  in  its  quaint  old 
parlor  she  was  married;  and  all  her  girlhood, 
her  brief  wedded  life,  and  her  widowhood  were 
connected  with  it.  Mrs.  Gray  and  Montgom 
ery's  mother  had  been  schoolmates  and  play 
mates,  and  their  friendship  endured.  When 
old  Edwin  Peter  Brewster  looked  about  for  a 
place  to  house  his  orphaned  grandson,  Mrs. 
Gray  begged  him  to  let  her  care  for  the  little 
fellow.  He  was  three  years  older  than  her 
Margaret,  and  the  children  grew  up  as 
brother  and  sister.  Mr.  Brewster  was  gener 
ous  in  providing  for  the  boy.  While  he  was 
away  at  college,  spending  money  in  a  manner 
that  caused  the  old  gentleman  to  marvel  at  his 
own  liberality,  Mrs.  Gray  was  well  paid  for  the 
unused  but  well-kept  apartments,  and  there 
never  was  a  murmur  of  complaint  from  Edwin 


MRS.  AND  MISS  GRAY  15 

Peter  Brewster.  He  was  hard,  but  he  was  not 
niggardly. 

It  had  been  something  of  a  struggle  for  Mrs. 
Gray  to  make  both  ends  meet.  The  property 
in  Fortieth  Street  was  her  only  possession. 
But  little  money  had  come  to  her  at  her  hus 
band's  death,  and  an  unfortunate  speculation 
of  his  had  swept  away  all  that  had  fallen  to  her 
from  her  father,  the  late  Judge  Merriweather. 
For  years  she  kept  the  old  home  unencumbered, 
teaching  French  and  English  until  Margaret 
was  well  into  her  teens.  The  girl  was  sent  to 
one  of  the  good  old  boarding-schools  on  the 
Hudson  and  came  out  well  prepared  to  help 
her  mother  in  the  battle  to  keep  the  wolf  down 
and  appearances  up.  Margaret  was  rich  in 
friendships;  and  pride  alone  stood  between 
her  and  the  advantages  they  offered.  Good- 
looking,  bright,  and  cheerful,  she  knew  no  nat 
ural  privations.  With  a  heart  as  light  and  joy 
ous  as  a  May  morning,  she  faced  adversity  as 
though  it  were  a  pleasure,  and  no  one  would 
have  suspected  that  even  for  a  moment  her 
courage  wavered. 

Now  that  Brewster  had  come  into  his  splen 
did  fortune  he  could  conceive  no  greater 
delight  than  to  share  it  with  them.  To  walk 
into  the  little  drawing-room  and  serenely  lay 


16  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

large  sums  before  them  as  their  own  seemed 
such  a  natural  proceeding  that  he  refused 
to  see  an  obstacle.  But  he  knew  it  was 
there;  the  proffer  of  such  a  gift  to  Mrs. 
Gray  would  mean  a  wound  to  the  pride 
inherited  from  haughty  generations  of  men 
sufficient  unto  themselves.  There  was  a  small 
but  troublesome  mortgage  on  the  house,  a 
matter  of  two  or  three  thousand  dollars,  and 
Brewster  tried  to  evolve  a  plan  by  which  he 
could  assume  the  burden  without  giving  deep 
and  lasting  offense.  A  hundred  wild  designs 
had  come  to  him,  but  they  were  quickly  rele 
gated  to  the  growing  heap  of  subterfuges  and 
pretexts  condemned  by  his  tenderness  for  the 
pride  of  these  two  women  who  meant  so  much 
to  him. 

Leaving  the  bank,  he  hastened,  by  electric 
car,  to  Fortieth  Street  and  Broadway,  and  then 
walked  eagerly  off  into  the  street  of  the 
numeral.  He  had  not  yet  come  to  the  point 
where  he  felt  like  scorning  the  cars,  even 
though  a  roll  of  banknotes  was  tucked  snugly 
away  in  a  pocket  that  seemed  to  swell  with 
sudden  affluence.  Old  Hendrick,  faithful  serv 
itor  through  two  generations,  was  sweeping 
the  autumn  leaves  from  the  sidewalk  when 
Montgomery  came  up  to  the  house. 


MRS.  AND  MISS  GRAY  17 

"Hello,  Hendrick,"  was  the  young  man's 
cheery  greeting.  "Nice  lot  of  leaves  you  have 
there." 

"So?"  ebbed  from  Hendrick,  who  did  not 
even  so  much  as  look  up  from  his  work.  Hen 
drick  was  a  human  clam. 

"Mrs.  Gray  in?" 

A  grunt  that  signified  yes. 

"You're  as   loquacious  as  ever,  Hendrick." 

A  mere  nod. 

Brewster  let  himself  in  with  his  own  latch 
key,  threw  his  hat  on  a  chair  and  unceremoni 
ously  bolted  into  the  library.  Margaret  was 
seated  near  a  window,  a  book  in  her  lap.  The 
first  evidence  of  unbiased  friendship  he  had 
seen  in  days  shone  in  her  smile.  She  took 
his  hand  and  said  simply,  "We  are  glad  to 
welcome  the  prodigal  to  his  home  again." 

"I  remind  myself  more  of  the  fatted  calf." 

Her  first  self-consciousness  had  gone. 

"I  thought  of  that,  but  I  didn't  dare  say  it," 
she  laughed.  "One  must  be  respectful  to  rich 
relatives." 

"Hang  your  rich  relatives,  Peggy;  if  I 
thought  that  this  money  would  make  any  dif 
ference  I  would  give  it  up  this  minute." 

"Nonsense,  Monty,"  she  said.  "How  could 
it  make  a  difference?  But  you  must  admit  it 


18  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

is  rather  startling.  The  friend  of  our  youth 
leaves  his  humble  dwelling  Saturday  night  with 
his  salary  drawn  for  two  weeks  ahead.  He 
returns  the  following  Thursday  a  dazzling 
millionaire." 

"I'm  glad  I've  begun  to  dazzle,  anyway.  I 
thought  it  might  be  hard  to  look  the  part." 

"Well,  I  can't  see  that  you  are  much 
changed."  There  was  a  suggestion  of  a  quaver 
in  her  voice,  and  the  shadows  did  not  prevent 
him  from  seeing  the  quick  mist  that  flitted 
across  her  deep  eyes. 

"After  all,  it's  easy  work  being  a  million 
aire,"  he  explained,  "when  you've  always  had 
million-dollar  inclinations." 

"And  fifty-cent  possibilities,"  she  added. 

"Really  though,  I'll  never  get  as  much  joy 
out  of  my  abundant  riches  as  I  did  out  of 
financial  embarrassments." 

"But  think  how  fine  it  is,  Monty,  not  ever 
to  wonder  where  your  winter's  overcoat  is  to 
come  from  and  how  long  the  coal  will  last, 
and  all  that." 

"Oh,  I  never  wondered  about  my  overcoats; 
the  tailor  did  the  wondering.  But  I  wish  I 
could  go  on  living  here  just  as  before.  I'd  a 
heap  rather  live  here  than  at  that  gloomy  place 
on  the  avenue." 


MRS.  AND  MISS  GRAY  19 

"That  sounded  like  the  things  you  used  to 
say  when  we  played  in  the  garret.  You'd  a 
heap  sooner  do  this  than  that — don't  you 
remember?" 

"That's  just  why  I'd  rather  live  here,  Peggy. 
Last  night  I  fell  to  thinking  of  that  old  garret, 
and  hanged  if  something  didn't  come  up  and 
stick  in  my  throat  so  tight  that  I  wanted  to 
cry.  How  long  has  it  been  since  we  played  up 
there?  Yes,  and  how  long  has  it  been  since 
I  read  'Oliver  Optic'  to  you,  lying  there  in  the 
garret  window  while  you  sat  with  your  back 
against  the  wall,  your  blue  eyes  as  big  as 
dollars?" 

"Oh,  dear  me,  Monty,  it  was  ages  ago — 
twelve  or  thirteen  years,  at  least"  she  cried, 
a  soft  light  in  her  eyes. 

"I'm  going  up  there  this  afternoon  to  see 
what  the  place  is  like,"  he  said  eagerly.  "And, 
Peggy,  you  must  come  too.  Maybe  I  can 
find  one  of  those  Optic  books,  and  we'll  be 
young  again." 

"Just  for  old  time's  sake,"  she  said  impul 
sively.  "You'll  stay  for  luncheon,  too." 

"I'll  have  to  be  at  the— no,  I  won't,  either. 
Do  you  know,  1  was  thinking  I  had  to  be  at  the 
bank  at  twelve-thirty  to  let  Mr.  Perkins  go  out 
for  something  to  eat?  The  millionaire  habit 


20  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

isn't  so  firmly  fixed  as  I  supposed."  After  a 
moment's  pause,  in  which  his  growing  serious 
ness  changed  the  atmosphere,  he  went  on, 
haltingly,  uncertain  of  his  position:  "The 
nicest  thing  about  having  all  this  money  is  that 
— that — we  won't  have  to  deny  ourselves  any 
thing  after  this."  It  did  not  sound  very  tact 
ful,  now  that  it  was  out,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  scrutinize  rather  intently  a  familiar  portrait 
in  order  to  maintain  an  air  of  careless  assur 
ance.  She  did  not  respond  to  this  venture,  but 
he  felt  that  she  was  looking  directly  into  his 
sorely-tried  brain.  "We'll  do  any  amount  of 
decorating  about  the  house  and — and  you  know 
that  furnace  has  been  giving  us  a  lot  of  trouble 
for  two  or  three  years — "  he  was  pouring  out 
ruthlessly,  when  her  hand  fell  gently  on  his  own 
and  she  stood  straight  and  tall  before  him,  an 
odd  look  in  her  eyes. 

"Don't — please    don't  go  on,    Monty,"  she 

said  very    gently    but  without  wavering.      "I 

know  what  you  mean.     You  are  good  and  very 

thoughtful,   Monty,  but  you   really  must  not." 

"Why,  what's  mine  is  yours — "  he  began 

"I   know  you   are   generous,    Monty,   and    I 

know   you  have  a  heart.     You  want   us  to — to 

take  some  of  your  money," — it  was  not  easy  to 

say  it,  and  as  for  Monty,  he  could  only  look  at 


MRS.  AND  MISS  GRA  Y  21 

the  floor.  "We  cannot,  Monty,  dear, — you 
must  never  speak  of  it  again.  Mamma  and 
I  had  a  feeling  that  you  would  do  it.  But 
don't  you  see, — even  from  you  it  is  an  offer  of 
help,  and  it  hurts." 

"Don't  talk  like  that,  Peggy,"  he  implored. 

"It  would  break  her  heart  if  you  offered  to 
give  her  money  in  that  way.  She'd  hate  it, 
Monty.  It  is  foolish  perhaps,  but  you  know 
we  can't  take  your  money." 

"I  thought  you — that  you — oh,  this  knocks 
all  the  joy  out  of  it,"  he  burst  out  desperately. 

"Dear  Monty!" 

"Let's  talk  it  over,  Peggy;  you  don't  under 
stand — "  he  began,  dashing  at  what  he  thought 
would  be  a  break  in  her  resolve. 

"Don't!"  she  commanded,  and  in  her  blue 
eyes  was  the  hot  flash  he  had  felt  once  or  twice 
before. 

He  rose  and  walked  across  the  floor,  back 
and  forth  again,  and  then  stood  before  her,  a 
smile  on  his  lips — a  rather  pitiful  smile,  but 
still  a  smile.  There  were  tears  in  her  eyes 
as  she  looked  at  him. 

"It's  a  confounded  puritanical  prejudice, 
Peggy,"  he  said  in  futile  protest,  "and  you 
know  it." 

"You  have  not  seen   the  letters  that  came 


22  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

for  you  this  morning.  They're  on  the  table 
over  there,"  she  replied,  ignoring  him. 

He  found  the  letters  and  resumed  his  seat  in 
the  window,  glancing  half-heartedly  over  the 
contents  of  the  envelopes.  The  last  was  from 
Grant  &  Ripley,  attorneys,  and  even  from  his 
abstraction  it  brought  a  surprised  "By  Jove!" 
He  read  it  aloud  to  Margaret. 

September  30. 
MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER,  ESQ., 

New  York. 

Dear  Sir: — We  are  in  receipt  of  a  communication  from 
Mr.  Swearengen  Jones  of  Montana,  conveying  the  sad 
intelligence  that  your  uncle,  James  T.  Sedgwick,  died  on 

the  24th  inst.  at  M Hospital  in  Portland,  after  a  brief 

illness.  Mr.  Jones  by  this  time  has  qualified  in  Montana 
as  the  executor  of  your  uncle's  will  and  has  retained  us 
as  his  eastern  representatives.  He  incloses  a  copy  of  the 
will,  in  which  you  are  named  as  sole  heir,  with  conditions 
attending.  Will  you  call  at  our  office  this  afternoon,  if  it 
is  convenient?  It  is  important  that  you  know  the  con 
tents  of  the  instrument  at  once. 

Respectfully  yours, 

GRANT  &  RIPLEY. 

For  a  moment  there  was  only  amazement  in 
the  air.  Then  a  faint  bewildered  smile  appeared 
in  Monty's  face,  and  reflected  itself  in  thrj 
girl's. 

"Who  is  your  Uncle  James?"  she  asked. 

"I've  never  heard  of  him." 


MRS.  AND  MISS  GRAY  23 

"You  must  go  to  Grant  &  Ripley's  at  once, 
of  course.' 

"Have  you  forgotten,  Peggy,"  he  replied, 
with  a  hint  of  vexation  in  his  voice,  "that 
we  are  to  read  'Oliver  Optic'  this  afternoon?" 


IV 


A   SECOND   WILL 

"You  are  both  fortunate  and  unfortunate, 
Mr.  Brewster, "  said  Mr.  Grant,  after  the 
young  man  had  dropped  into  a  chair  in  the  office 
of  Grant  &  Ripley  the  next  day.  Montgomery 
wore  a  slightly  bored  expression,  and  it  was 
evident  that  he  took  little  interest  in  the  will 
of  James  T.  Sedgwick.  From  far  back  in  the 
recesses  of  memory  he  now  recalled  this  long- 
lost  brother  of  his  mother.  As  a  very  small 
child  he  had  seen  his  Uncle  James  upon  the 
few  occasions  which  brought  him  to  the  home 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Brewster.  But  the 
young  man  had  dined  at  the  Drews  the  night 
before  and  Barbara  had  had  more  charm  for 
him  than  usual.  It  was  of  her  that  he  was 
thinking  when  he  walked  into  the  office  of 
Swearengen  Jones's  lawyers. 

"The  truth  is,  Mr.  G/ant,  I'd  completely 
forgotten  the  existence  of  an  uncle,"  he 
responded. 

"It  is  not  surprising,"  said  Mr.  Grant, 
24 


A   SECOND    WILL  25 

genially.  "Everyone  who  knew  him  in  New 
York  nineteen  or  twenty  years  ago  believed 
him  to  be  dead.  He  left  the  city  when  you 
were  a  very  small  lad,  going  to  Australia,  I 
think.  He  was  off  to  seek  his  fortune,  and  he 
needed  it  pretty  badly  when  he  started  out. 
This  letter  from  Mr.  Jones  comes  like  a  mes 
sage  from  the  dead.  Were  it  not  that  we  have 
known  Mr.  Jones  for  a  long  time,  handling 
affairs  of  considerable  importance  for  him,  I 
should  feel  inclined  to  doubt  the  whole  story. 
It  seems  that  your  uncle  turned  up  in  Montana 
about  fifteen  years  ago  and  there  formed  a 
stanch  friendship  with  old  Swearengen  Jones, 
one  of  the  richest  men  in  the  far  West.  Sedg- 
wick's  will  was  signed  on  the  day  of  his  death, 
September  24th,  and  it  was  quite  natural  that 
Mr.  Jones  should  be  named  as  his  executor. 
That  is  how  we  became  interested  in  the 
matter,  Mr.  Brewster." 

"I  see,"  said  Montgomery,  somewhat  puz 
zled.  "But  why  do  you  say  that  I  am  both 
fortunate  and  unfortunate?" 

"The  situation  is  so  remarkable  that  you'll 
consider  that  a  mild  way  of  putting  it  when 
you've  heard  everything.  I  think  you  were 
told,  in  our  note  of  yesterday,  that  you  are  the 
sole  heir.  Well,  it  may  surprise  you  to  learn 


26  SREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

that  James  Sedgwick  died  possessed  of  an 
estate  valued  at  almost  seven  million  dollars." 

Montgomery  Brewster  sat  like  one  petrified, 
staring  blankly  at  the  old  lawyer,  who  could 
say  startling  things  in  a  level  voice. 

"He  owned  gold  mines  and  ranches  in  the 
Northwest  and  there  is  no  question  as  to  their 
value.  Mr.  Jones,  in  his  letter  to  us,  briefly 
outlines  the  history  of  James  Sedgwick  from 
the  time  he  landed  in  Montana.  He  reached 
there  in  1885  from  Australia,  and  he  was  worth 
thirty  or  forty  thousand  dollars  at  the  time. 
Within  five  years  he  was  the  owner  of  a  huge 
ranch,  and  scarcely  had  another  five  years 
passed  before  he  was  part-owner  of  three  rich 
gold  mines.  Possessions  accumulated  rapidly; 
everything  he  touched  turned  to  gold.  He 
was  shrewd,  careful,  and  thrifty,  and  his  money 
was  handled  with  all  the  skill  of  a  Wall  Street 
financier.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  in  Port 
land,  he  did  not  owe  a  dollar  in  the  world. 
His  property  is  absolutely  unencumbered — 
safe  and  sound  as  a  government  bond.  It's 
rather  overwhelming,  isn't  it?"  the  lawyer 
concluded,  taking  note  of  Brewster's  expres 
sion. 

"And  he — he  left  everything  to  me?'1 

"With  a  proviso." 


A  SECOND    WILL  27 

"Ah!" 

"I  have  a  copy  of  the  will.  Mr.  Ripley  and 
I  are  the  only  persons  in  New  York  who  at 
present  know  its  contents.  You,  I  am  sure, 
after  hearing  it,  will  not  divulge  them  without 
the  most  careful  deliberation." 

Mr.  Grant  drew  the  document  from  a  pigeon 
hole  in  his  desk,  adjusted  his  glasses  and  pre 
pared  to  read.  Then,  as  though  struck  by  a 
sudden  thought,  he  laid  the  paper  down  and 
turned  once  more  to  Brewster. 

"It  seems  that  Sedgwick  never  married. 
Your  mother  was  his  sister  and  his  only  known 
relative  of  close  connection.  He  was  a  man 
of  most  peculiar  temperament,  but  in  full 
possession  of  all  mental  faculties.  You  may 
find  this  will  to  be  a  strange  document,  but  I 
think  Mr.  Jones,  the  executor,  explains  any 
mystery  that  may  be  suggested  by  its  terms. 
While  Sedgwick's  whereabouts  were  unknown 
to  his  old  friends  in  New  York,  it  seems  that 
he  was  fully  posted  on  all  that  was  going  on 
here.  He  knew  that  you  were  the  only  child 
of  your  mother  and  therefore  his  only  nephew. 
He  sets  forth  the  dates  of  your  mother's  mar 
riage,  of  your  birth,  of  the  death  of  Robert 
Brewster  and  of  Mrs.  Brewster.  He  also  was 
aware  of  the  fact  that  old  Edwin  Peter  Brew- 


28  BREWSTER' S  MILLIONS 

ster  intended  to  bequeath  a  large  fortune  to 
you — and  thereby  hangs  a  tale.  Sedgwick  was 
proud.  When  he  lived  in  New  York,  he  was 
regarded  as  the  kind  of  man  who  never  forgave 
the  person  who  touched  roughly  upon  his  pride. 
You  know,  of  course,  that  your  father  married 
Miss  Sedgwick  in  the  face  of  the  most  bitter 
opposition  on  the  part  of  Edwin  Brewster. 
The  latter  refused  to  recognize  her  as  his 
daughter,  practically  disowned  his  son,  and 
heaped  the  harshest  kind  of  calumny  upon  the 
Sedgwicks.  It  was  commonly  believed  about 
town  that  Jim  Sedgwick  left  the  country  three 
or  four  years  after  this  marriage  for  the  sole 
reason  that  he  and  Edwin  Brewster  could  not 
live  in  the  same  place.  So  deep  was  his  hatred 
of  the  old  man  that  he  fled  to  escape  killing 
him.  It  was  known  that  upon  one  occasion  he 
visited  the  office  of  his  sister's  enemy  for  the 
purpose  of  slaying  him,  but  something  pre 
vented.  He  carried  that  hatred  to  the  grave, 
as  you  will  see." 

Montgomery  Brewster  was  trying  to  gather 
himself  together  from  within  the  fog  which 
made  himself  and  the  world  unreal. 

"I  believe  I'd  like  to  have  you  read  this 
extraor — the  will,  Mr.  Grant,"  he  said,  with  an 
effort  to  hold  his  nerves  in  leash. 


A   SECOND    WILL  29 

Mr.  Grant  cleared  his  throat  and  began  in 
his  still  voice.  Once  he  looked  up  to  find  his 
listener  eager,  and  again  to  find  him  grown 
indifferent.  He  wondered  dimly  if  this  were 
a  pose. 

In  brief,  the  last  will  of  James  T.  Sedgwick 
bequeathed  everything,  real  and  personal,  of 
which  he  died  possessed,  to  his  only  nephew, 
Montgomery  Brewster  of  New  York,  son  of 
Robert  and  Louise  Sedgwick  Brewster.  Sup 
plementing  this  all-important  clause  there  was 
a  set  of  conditions  governing  the  final  disposi 
tion  of  the  estate.  The  most  extraordinary  of 
these  conditions  was  the  one  which  required 
the  heir  to  be  absolutely  penniless  upon  the 
twenty-sixth  anniversary  of  his  birth,  Septem 
ber  23d. 

The  instrument  went  into  detail  in  respect  to 
this  supreme  condition.  It  set  forth  that  Mont 
gomery  Brewster  was  to  have  no  other  worldly 
possession  than  the  clothes  which  covered  him 
on  the  September  day  named.  He  was  to 
begin  that  clay  without  a  penny  to  his  name, 
without  a  single  article  of  jewelry,  furniture  or 
finance  that  he  could  call  his  own  or  could 
thereafter  reclaim.  At  nine  o'clock,  New 
York  time,  on  the  morning  of  September  23d, 
the  executor,  under  the  provisions  of  the  will, 


30  BREWSTER*  S  MILLIONS 

was  to  make  over  and  transfer  to  Montgomery 
Brevvster  all  of  the  moneys,  lands,  bonds,  and 
interests  mentioned  in  the  inventory  which 
accompanied  the  will.  In  the  event  that  Mont 
gomery  Brewster  had  not,  in  every  particular, 
complied  with  the  requirements  of  the  will,  to 
the  full  satisfaction  of  the  said  executor, 
Swearengen  Jones,  the  estate  was  to  be  dis 
tributed  among  certain  institutions  of  charity 
designated  in  the  instrument.  Underlying 
this  imperative  injunction  of  James  Sedgwick 
was  plainly  discernible  the  motive  that 
prompted  it.  In  almost  so  many  words  he 
declared  that  his  heir  should  not  receive  the 
fortune  if  he  possessed  a  single  penny  that  had 
come  to  him,  in  any  shape  or  form,  from  the 
man  he  hated,  Edwin  Peter  Brewster.  While 
Sedgwick  could  not  have  known  at  the  time  of 
his  death  that  the  banker  had  bequeathed  one 
million  dollars  to  his  grandson,  it  was  more 
than  apparent  that  he  expected  the  young  man 
to  be  enriched  liberally  by  his  enemy.  It  was 
to  preclude  any  possible  chance  of  the  mingling 
of  his  fortune  with  the  smallest  portion  of 
Edwin  P.  Brewster's  that  James  Sedgwick,  on 
his  deathbed,  put  his  hand  to  this  astonishing 
instrument. 
There  was  also  a  clause  in  which  he  under- 


A   SECOND    WILL  31 

took  to  dictate  the  conduct  of  Montgomery 
Brewster  during  the  year  leading  up  to  his 
twenty-sixth  anniversary.  He  required  that 
the  young  man  should  give  satisfactory  evi 
dence  to  the  executor  that  he  was  capable  of 
managing  his  affairs  shrewdly  and  wisely, — that 
he  possessed  the  ability  to  add  to  the  fortune 
through  his  own  enterprise;  that  he  should  come 
to  his  twenty-sixth  anniversary  with  a  fair  name 
and  a  record  free  from  anything  worse  than 
mild  forms  of  dissipation;  that  his  habits  be 
temperate;  that  he  possess  nothing  at  the  end 
of  the  year  which  might  be  regarded  as  a 
"visible  or  invisible  asset";  that  he  make  no 
endowments;  that  he  give  sparingly  to  charity; 
that  he  neither  loan  nor  give  away  money,  for 
fear  that  it  might  be  restored  to  him  later; 
that  he  live  on  the  principle  which  inspires  a 
man  to  "get  his  money's  worth,"  be  the 
expenditure  great  or  small.  As  these  condi 
tions  were  prescribed  for  but  a  single  year  in 
the  life  of  the  heir,  it  was  evident  that  Mr. 
Sedgwick  did  not  intend  to  impose  any  restric 
tions  after  the  property  had  gone  into  his 
hands. 

"How  do  you  like  it?"  asked  Mr.  Grant,  as 
he  passed  the  will  to  Brewster. 

The  latter  took  the  paper  and  glanced  over 


32  BREWSTER' S  MILLIONS 

it  with  the  air  of  one  who  had  heard  but  had 
not  fully  grasped  its  meaning. 

"It  must  be  a  joke,  Mr.  Grant,"  he  said, 
still  groping  with  difficulty  through  the  fog. 

"No,  Mr.  Brewster,  it  is  absolutely  genuine. 
Here  is  a  telegram  from  the  Probate  Court  in 
Sedgwick's  home  county,  received  in  response 
to  a  query  from  us.  It  says  that  the  will  is  to 
be  filed  for  probate  and  that  Mr.  Sedgwick  was 
many  times  a  millionaire.  This  statement, 
which  he  calls  an  inventory,  enumerates  his 
holdings  and  their  value,  and  the  footing  shows 
$6,345,000  in  round  numbers.  The  invest 
ments,  you  see,  are  gilt-edged.  There  is  not 
a  bad  penny  in  all  those  millions." 

"Well,  it  is  rather  staggering,  isn't  it?"  said 
Montgomery,  passing  his  hand  over  his  fore 
head.  He  was  beginning  to  comprehend. 

"In  more  ways  than  one.  What  are  you 
going  to  do  about  it?" 

"Do  about  it?"  in  surprise.  "Why,  it's 
mine,  isn't  it?" 

"It  is  not  yours  until  next  September,"  the 
lawyer  quietly  said. 

"Well,  I  fancy  I  can  wait,"  said  Brewster 
with  a  smile  that  cleared  the  air. 

"But,  my  dear  fellow,  you  are  already  the 
possessor  of  a  million.  Do  you  forget  that 


A   SECOND    WILL  33 

you  are  expected  to  be  penniless  a  year  from 
now?" 

"Wouldn't  you  exchange  a  million  for  seven 
millions,  Mr.  Grant?" 

"But  let  me  inquire  how  you  purpose  doing 
it?"  asked  Mr.  Grant,  mildly. 

"Why,  by  the  simple  process  of  destruction. 
Don't  you  suppose  I  can  get  rid  of  a  million  in 
a  year?  Great  Scott,  who  wouldn't  do  it!  All 
I  have  to  do  is  to  cut  a  few  purse  strings  and 
there  is  but  one  natural  conclusion.  I  don't 
mind  being  a  pauper  for  a  few  hours  on  the  23d 
of  next  September." 

"That  is  your  plan,  then?" 

"Of  course.  First  I  shall  substantiate  all 
that  this  will  sets  forth.  When  I  am  assured 
that  there  can  be  no  possibility  of  mistake  in 
the  extent  of  this  fortune  and  my  undisputed 
claim,  I'll  take  steps  to  get  rid  of  my  grand 
father's  million  in  short  order."  Brewster's 
voice  rang  true  now.  The  zest  of  life  was 
coming  back. 

Mr.  Grant  leaned  forward  slowly  and  his 
intent,  penetrating  gaze  served  as  a  check  to 
the  young  fellow's  enthusiasm. 

"I  admire  and  approve  the  sagacity  which 
urges  you  to  exchange  a  paltry  million  for  a 
fortune,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  you  are  forget- 


34  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

ting  the  conditions,"  he  said,  slowly.  "Has  it 
occurred  to  you  that  it  will  be  no  easy  task  to 
spend  a  million  dollars  without  in  some  way 
violating  the  restrictions  in  your  uncle's  will, 
thereby  losing  both  fortunes?" 


V 


THE  MESSAGE  FROM  JONES 

A  new  point  of  view  gradually  came  to  Brew- 
ster.  All  his  life  had  been  spent  in  wondering 
how  to  get  enough  money  to  pay  his  bills,  and 
it  had  not  occurred  to  him  that  it  might  be  as 
difficult  to  spend  as  to  acquire  wealth.  The 
thought  staggered  him  for  a  moment.  Then 
he  cried  triumphantly,  "I  can  decline  to  accept 
grandfather's  million." 

"You  cannot  decline  to  accept  what  is 
already  yours.  I  understand  that  the  money 
has  been  paid  to  you  by  Mr.  Buskirk.  You 
have  a  million  dollars,  Mr.  Brewster,  and  it 
cannot  be  denied." 

"You  are  right,"  agreed  Montgomery,  deject 
edly.  "Really,  Mr.  Grant,  this  proposition  is 
too  much  for  me.  If  you  aren't  required  to 
give  an  immediate  answer,  I  want  to  think  it 
over.  It  sounds  like  a  dream." 

"It  is  no  dream,  Mr.  Brewster,"  smiled  the 
lawyer.  "You  are  face  to  face  with  an  ama 
zing  reality.  Come  in  to-morrow  morning  and 
see  me  again.  Think  it  over,  study  it  out. 

35 


36  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

Remember  the  conditions  of  the  will  and  the 
conditions  that  confront  you.  In  the  mean 
time,  I  shall  write  to  Mr.  Jones,  the  executor, 
and  learn  from  him  just  what  he  expects  you 
to  do  in  order  to  carry  out  his  own  conception 
of  the  terms  of  your  uncle's  will." 

"Don't  write,  Mr.  Grant;  telegraph.  And 
ask  him  to  wire  his  reply.  A  year  is  not  very 
long  in  an  affair  of  this  kind."  A  moment 
later  he  added,  "Damn  these  family  feuds! 
Why  couldn't  Uncle  James  have  relented  a  bit? 
He  brings  endless  trouble  on  my  innocent 
head,  just  because  of  a  row  before  I  was  born." 

"He  was  a  strange  man.  As  a  rule,  one 
does  not  carry  grudges  quite  so  far.  But  that 
is  neither  here  nor  there.  His  will  is  law  in 
this  case." 

"Suppose  I  succeed  in  spending  all  but  a 
thousand  dollars  before  the  23d  of  next  Sep 
tember!  I'd  lose  the  seven  millions  and  be  the 
next  thing  to  a  pauper.  That  wouldn't  be 
quite  like'getting  my  money's  worth." 

"It  is  a  problem,  my  boy.  Think  it  over 
very  seriously  before  you  come  to  a  decision, 
one  way  or  the  other.  In  the  meantime,  we 
can  establish  beyond  a  doubt  the  accuracy  of 
this  inventory." 

"By  all   means,  go  ahead,  and   please  urge 


THE  MESSAGE  FROM  JONES  37 

Mr.  Jones  not  to  be  too  hard  on  me.  I  believe 
I'll  risk  it  if  the  restrictions  are  not  too  severe. 
But  if  Jones  has  puritanical  instincts,  I  might 
as  well  give  up  hope  and  be  satisfied  with  what 
I  have." 

"Mr.  Jones  is  very  far  from  what  you'd  call 
puritanical,  but  he  is  intensely  practical  and 
clear-headed.  He  will  undoubtedly  require  you 
to  keep  an  expense  account  and  to  show  some 
sort  of  receipt  for  every  dollar  you  disburse."  • 

"Good  Lord!     Itemize?" 

"In  a  general  way,  I  presume." 

"I'll  have  to  employ  an  army  of  spendthrifts 
to  devise  ways  and  means  for  profligacy." 

"You  forget  the  item  which  restrains  you 
from  taking  anybody  into  your  confidence  con 
cerning  this  matter.  Think  it  over.  It  may 
not  be  so  difficult  after  a  night's  sleep." 

"If  it  isn't  too  difficult  to  get  the  night's 
sleep." 

All  the  rest  of  the  day  Brewster  wandered 
about  as  one  in  a  dream.  He  was  pre-occu- 
pied  and  puzzled,  and  more  than  one  of  his  old 
associates,  receiving  a  distant  nod  in  passing, 
resentfully  concluded  that  his  wealth  was 
beginning  to  change  him.  His  brain  was  so 
full  of  statistics,  figures,  and  computations  that 
it  whirled  dizzily,  and  once  he  narrowly 


38  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

escaped  being  run  down  by  a  cable  car.  He 
dined  alone  at  a  small  French  restaurant  in 
one  of  the  side  streets.  The  waiter  marveled 
at  the  amount  of  black  coffee  the  young  man 
consumed  and  looked  hurt  when  he  did  not 
touch  the  quail  and  lettuce. 

That  night  the  little  table  in  his  room  at 
Mrs.  Gray's  was  littered  with. scraps  of  pad 
paper,  each  covered  with  an  incomprehensible 
maze  of  figures.  After  dinner  he  had  gone  to 
his  own  rooms,  forgetting  that  he  lived  on 
Fifth  Avenue..  Until  long  after  midnight  he 
smoked  and  calculated  and  dreamed.  For  the 
first  time  the  immensity  of  that  million  thrust 
itself  upon  him.  If  on  that  very  day,  October 
the  first,  he  were  to  begin  the  task  of  spending 
it  he  would  have  but  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  days  in  which  to  accomplish  the  end. 
Taking  the  round  sum  of  one  million  dollars 
as  a  basis,  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  calculate 
his  average  daily  disbursement.  The  situation 
did  not  look  so  utterly  impossible  until  he 
held  up  the  little  sheet  of  paper  and  ruefully 
contemplated  the  result  of  that  simple  problem 
in  mathematics. 

It  meant  an  average  daily  expenditure  of 
$2,801. 12  for  nearly  a  year,  and  even  then  there 
would  be  sixteen  cents  left  over,  for,  in  prov- 


THE  MESSAGE  FROM  JONES  39 

ing  the  result  of  his  rough  sum  in  division,  he 
could  account  for  but  $999,999.84.  Then  it 
occurred  to  him  that  his  money  would  be  draw 
ing  interest  at  the  bank. 

"But  for  each  day's  $2,801.12,  I  am  getting 
seven  times  as  much,"  he  soliloquized,  as  he 
finally  got  into  bed.  "That  means  $19,607.84 
a  day,  a  clear  profit  of  $16,806.72.  That's 
pretty  good — yes,  too  good.  I  wonder  if  the 
bank  couldn't  oblige  me  by  not  charging 
interest." 

The  figures  kept  adding  and  subtracting 
themselves  as  he  dozed  off,  and  once  during  the 
night  he  dreamed  that  Swearengen  Jones  had 
sentenced  him  to  eat  a  million  dollars'  worth 
of  game  and  salad  at  the  French  restaurant. 
He  awoke  with  the  consciousness  that  he  had 
cried  aloud,  "I  can  do  it,  but  a  year  is  not  very 
long  in  an  affair  of  this  kind." 

It  was  nine  o'clock  when  Brewster  finally 
rose,  and  after  his  tub  he  felt  ready  to  cope 
with  any  problem,  even  a  substantial  breakfast. 
A  message  had  come  to  him  from  Mr.  Grant  of 
Grant  &  Ripley,  announcing  the  receipt  of 
important  dispatches  from  Montana,  and  ask 
ing  him  to  luncheon  at  one.  He  had  time  to 
spare,  and  as  Margaret  and  Mrs.  Gray  had  gone 
out,  he  telephoned  Ellis  to  take  his  horse  tc, 


40  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

the  entrance  to  the  park  at  once.  The  crisp 
autumn  air  was  perfect  for  his  ride,  and  Brew- 
ster  found  a  number  of  smart  people  already 
riding  and  driving  in  the  park.  His  horse  was 
keen  for  a  canter  and  he  had  reached  the 
obelisk  before  he  drew  rein.  As  he  was  about 
to  cross  the  carriage  road  he  was  nearly  run 
down  by  Miss  Drew  in  her  new  French  auto 
mobile. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,"  she  cried.  "You're 
the  third  person  I've  run  into,  so  you  see  I'm 
not  discriminating  against  you." 

"I  should  be  flattered  even  to  be  run  down 
by  you." 

"Very  well,  then,  look  out."  And  she 
started  the  machine  as  if  to  charge  him.  She 
stopped  in  time,  and  said  with  a  laugh,  "Your 
gallantry  deserves  a  reward.  Wouldn't  you 
rather  send  your  horse  home  and  come  for  a 
ride  with  me?" 

"My  man  is  waiting  at  Fifty-ninth  Street. 
If  you'll  come  that  far,  I'll  go  with  pleasure." 

Monty  had  merely  a  society  acquaintance 
with  Miss  Drew.  He  had  met  her  at  dinners 
and  dances  as  he  had  a  host  of  other  girls,  but 
she  had  impressed  him  more  than  the  others. 
Something  indescribable  took  place  every  time 
their  eyes  met.  Monty  had  often  wondered 


THE  MESSAGE  FROM  JONES  41 

just  what  that  something  meant,  but  he  had 
always  realized  that  it  had  in  it  nothing  of 
platonic  affection. 

"If  I  didn't  have  to  meet  her  eyes,"  he  had 
said  to  himself,  "I  could  go  on  discussing  even 
politics  with  her,  but  the  moment  she  looks 
at  me  I  know  she  can  see  what  I'm  think 
ing  about."  From  the  first  they  considered 
themselves  very  good  friends  and  after  their 
third  meeting  it  seemed  perfectly  natural 
that  they  should  call  one  another  by  their  first 
names.  Monty  knew  he  was  treading  on 
dangerous  ground.  It  never  occurred  to  him 
to  wonder  what  Barbara  might  think  of  him. 
He  took  it  as  a  matter  of  course  that  she  must 
feel  more  than  friendly  toward  him.  As  they 
rode  through  the  maze  of  carriages,  they  bowed 
frequently  to  friends  as  they  passed.  They 
were  conscious  that  some  of  the  women, 
noticeably  old  Miss  Dexter,  actually  turned 
around  and  gazed  at  them. 

"Aren't  you  afraid  people  will  talk  about 
us?"  asked  Monty  with  a  laugh. 

"Talk  about  our  riding  together  in  the 
park?  It's  just  as  safe  here  as  it  would  be 
in  Fifth  Avenue.  Besides,  who  cares?  I 
fancy  we  can  stand  it." 

"You're  a  thoroughbred,  Barbara.     I  simply 


42  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

didn't  want  you  talked  about.  When  I  go  too 
far,  say  the  word  and  drop  me.' 

"I  have  a  luncheon  at  two,  but  until  then 
we  have  our  ride." 

Monty  gasped  and  looked  at  his  watch. 
"Five  minutes  to  one,"  he  cried.  The  matter 
of  his  engagement  with  the  attorney  had  quite 
escaped  him.  In  the  exhilaration  of  Miss 
Drew's  companionship  he  had  forgotten  even 
Uncle  James's  millions. 

"I've  got  a  date  at  one  that  means  life  and 
death  to  me.  Would  you  mind  taking  me 
down  to  the  nearest  Elevated — or — here,  let 
me  run  it." 

Almost  before  Barbara  was  aware  of  what 
was  happening  they  had  changed  places  and 
the  machine,  under  Monty's  guidance,  was 
tearing  over  the  ground. 

"Of  all  the  casual  people,"  said  the  girl, 
by  no  means  unequal  to  the  excitement,  "I 
believe  you're  kidnaping  me." 

But  when  she  saw  the  grim  look  on  Monty's 
face  and  one  policeman  after  another  warned 
him  she  became  seriously  alarmed.  "Monty 
Brewster,  this  pace  is  positively  danger 
ous." 

"Perhaps  it  is,"  he  responded,  "but  if  they 
haven't  sense  enough  to  keep  out  of  the 


THE  MESSAGE  FROM  JONES  43 

way,    they    shouldn't     kick    if    they    get    run 
over." 

"I  don't  mean  the  people  or  the  automobiles 
or  traps  or  trees  or  monuments,  Monty;  I 
mean  you  and  me.  I  know  we'll  either  be 
killed  or  arrested." 

"This  isn't  anything  to  the  gait  I'll  be  going 
if  everything  turns  out  as  I  expect.  Don't  be 
worried,  Babs.  Besides  it's  one  now,  Lord, 
I  didn't  dream  it  was  so  late." 

"Is  your  appointment  so  important?"  she 
asked,  hanging  on. 

"Well,  I  should  say  it  is,  and — look  out — you 
blooming  idiot!  Do  you  want  to  get  killed?" 
The  last  remark  was  hurled  back  at  an  indig 
nant  pedestrian  who  had  escaped  destruction 
by  the  merest  chance. 

"Here  we  are,"  he  said,  as  they  drew  up 
beside  the  entrance  to  the  Elevated.  "Thanks 
awfully, — you're  a  corker, — sorry  to  leave  you 
this  way.  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it  later.  You're 
a  dear  to  help  me  keep  my  appointment." 

"Seems  to  me  you  helped  yourself,"  she 
cried  after  him  as  he  darted  up  the  steps. 
"Come  up  for  tea  some  day  and  tell  me  who 
the  lady  is." 

After  he  had  gone  Miss  Drew  turned  to  her 
chauffeur  who  was  in  the  tonneau.  Then  she 


44  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

laughed  unrestrainedly,  and  the  faintest  shadow 
of  a  grin  stole  over  the  man's  face. 

"Beg  pardon,  Miss,"  he  said,  ''but  I'd  back 
Mr.  Brevvster  against  Fournier  any  day." 

Only  half  an  hour  late,  Brewster  entered  the 
office  of  Messrs.  Grant  and  Ripley,  flushed, 
eager,  and  unconscious  of  the  big  splotch  of 
mud  that  decorated  his  cheek. 

"Awfully  sorry  to  have  kept  you  waiting," 
he  apologized. 

"Sherlock  Holmes  would  say  that  you  had 
been  driving,  Mr.  Brewster,"  said  Mr.  Ripley, 
shaking  the  young  man's  hand. 

"He  would  miss  it,  Mr.  Ripley.  I've  been 
flying.  What  have  you  heard  from  Montana?" 
He  could  no  longer  check  the  impatient  ques 
tion,  which  came  out  so  suddenly  that  the 
attorneys  laughed  irresistibly,  Brewster  joining 
them  an  instant  later.  They  laid  before  him 
a  half  dozen  telegrams,  responses  from  bankers, 
lawyers,  and  mine-operators  in  Montana.  These 
messages  established  beyond  doubt  the  extent 
of  James  T.  Sedgwick's  wealth;  it  was  reported 
to  be  even  greater  than  shown  by  the  actual 
figures. 

"And  what  does  Mr.  Jones  say?"  demanded 
Montgomery. 

"His  reply  resembles  a  press  dispatch.     He 


THE  MESSAGE  FROM  JONES  45 

has  tried  to  make  himself  thoroughly  clear, 
and  if  there  is  anything  left  unsaid  it  is  past 
our  comprehension.  I  am  sorry  to  inform  you, 
though,  that  he  has  paid  the  telegraph 
charges,"  said  Mr.  Grant,  smiling  broadly. 

"Is  he  rational  about  it?"  asked  Montgom 
ery,  nervously. 

Mr.  Grant  gave  his  partner  a  quick,  signifi 
cant  glance  and  then  drew  from  his  desk  the 
voluminous  telegram  from  Swearengen  Jones. 
It  was  as  follows: 


October  2. 
GRANT  &  RIPLEY, 

Yucatan  Building,  New  York. 

I  am  to  be  sole  referee  in  this  matter.  You  are  retained 
as  my  agents,  heir  to  report  to  me  through  you  weekly. 
One  desire  of  uncle  was  to  forestall  grandfather's  bequest. 
I  shall  respect  that  desire.  Enforce  terms  rigidly.  He 
was  my  best  friend  and  trusted  me  with  disposition  of 
all  this  money.  Shall  attend  to  it  sacredly.  Heir  must 
get  rid  of  money  left  to  him  in  given  time.  Out  of 
respect  to  memory  of  uncle  he  must  take  no  one  into  his 
confidence.  Don't  want  world  to  think  S.  was  damned 
fool.  He  wasn't.  Here  are  rules  I  want  him  to  work 
under:  i.  No  reckless  gambling.  2.  No  idiotic  Board 
of  Trade  speculation.  3.  No  endowments  to  institutions 
of  any  character,  because  their  memory  would  be  an 
invisible  asset.  4.  No  indiscriminate  giving  away  of 
funds.  By  that  I  don't  mean  him  to  be  stingy.  I  hate 
a  stingy  man  and  so  did  J.  T.  S.  5.  No  more  than 


46  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

ordinary  dissipation.  I  hate  a  saint.  So  did  J.  T.  S. 
And  both  of  us  sowed  an  oat  or  two.  6.  No  excessive 
donations  to  charity.  If  he  gives  as  other  millionaires 
do  I'll  let  it  go  at  that.  Don't  believe  charity  should  be 
spoiled  by  indulgence.  It  is  not  easy  to  spend  a  million, 
and  I  won't  be  unreasonable  with  him.  Let  him  spend 
it  freely,  but  not  foolishly,  and  get  his  money's  worth 
out  of  it.  If  he  does  that  I'll  consider  him  a  good  busi 
ness  man.  I  regard  it  foolish  to  tip  waiter  more  than 
dollar  and  car  porter  does  not  deserve  over  five.  He 
does'  not  earn  more  than  one.  If  heir  wants  to  try  for 
this  big  stake  he'd  better  begin  quick,  because  he  might 
slip  up  if  he  waits  until  day  of  judgment.  It's  less 
than  year  off.  Luck  to  him.  Will  write  you  more  fully. 

S.  JONES. 

"Write  more  fully!"  echoed  Montgomery. 
"What  can  there  be  left  to  write  about?" 

"He  is  explicit,"  said  the  attorney,  "but  it 
is  best  to  know  all  the  conditions  before  you 
decide.  Have  you  made  up  your  mind?" 

Brewster  sat  silent  for  a  long  time,  staring 
hard  at  the  floor.  A  great  struggle  was  going 
on  in  his  mind. 

"It's  a  gamble,  and  a  big  one,"  he  said  at 
last,  squaring  his  shoulders,  "but  I'll  take  it. 
I  don't  want  to  appear  disloyal  to  my  grand 
father,  but  I  think  that  even  he  would  advise 
me  to  accept.  Yes,  you  may  write  Mr.  Jones 
that  I  accept  the  chance." 

The    attorneys   complimented    him    on    his 


THE  MESSAGE  FROM  JONES  47 

nerve  and  wished  him  success.  Brewster  turned 
with  a  smile. 

"I'll  begin  by  asking  what  you  think  a 
reasonable  fee  for  an  attorney  in  a  case  of  this 
kind.  I  hope  you  will  act  for  me." 

"You  don't  want  to  spend  it  all  in  a  lump, 
do  you?"  asked  Mr.  Grant,  smiling.  "We  can 
hardly  act  as  counsel  for  both  you  and  Mr. 
Jones." 

"But  I  must  have  a  lawyer,  and  the  will 
limits  the  number  of  my  confidants.  What  am 
I  to  do?" 

"We  will  consult  Mr.  Jones  in  regard  to  the 
question.  It  is  not  regular,  you  see,  but  I 
apprehend  no  legal  difficulties.  We  cannot 
accept  fees  from  both  sides,  however,"  said 
Mr.  Grant. 

"But  I  want  attorneys  who  are  willing  to 
help  me.  It  won't  be  a  help  if  you  decline  to 
accept  my  money." 

"We'll  resort  to  arbitration,"  laughed  Rip- 
ley. 

Before  night  Montgomery  Brewster  began  a 
career  that  would  have  startled  the  world  had 
the  facts  been  known.  \Vith  true  loyalty  to 
the  "Little  Sons  of  the  Rich,"  he  asked  his 
friends  to  dinner  and  opened  their  eyes. 

"Champagne!"  cried  Harrison,  as  they  were 


48  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

seated  at  table.  "I  can't  remember  the  last 
time  I  had  champagne." 

"Naturally,"  laughed  "Subway"  Smith. 
"You  couldn't  remember  anything  after  that." 

As  the  dinner  progressed  Brewster  explained 
that  he  intended  to  double  his  fortune  within 
a  year.  "I'm  going  to  have  some  fun,  too," 
he  said,  "and  you  boys  are  to  help  me." 

"Nopper"  Harrison  was  employed  as  "super 
intendent  of  affairs";  Elon  Gardner  as  finan 
cial  secretary;  Joe  Bragdon  as  private  secretary; 
"Subway"  Smith  as  counsel,  and  there  were 
places  in  view  for  the  other  members. 

"I  want  the  smartest  apartment  you  can  find, 
Nopper,"  he  commanded.  "Don't  stop  at 
expense.  Have  Pettingill  redecorate  it  from 
top  to  bottom.  Get  the  best  servants  you  can 
find.  I'm  going  to  live,  Nopper,  and  hang 
the  consequences." 


VI 

MONTY  CRISTO 

A  fortnight  later  Montgomery  Brewster  had. 
a  new  home.  In  strict  obedience  to  his 
chief's  command,  "Nopper"  Harrison  had 
leased  until  the  September  following  one  of  the 
most  expensive  apartments  to  be  found  in  New 
York  City.  The  rental  was  $23,000,  and  the 
shrewd  financial  representative  had  saved 
$1,000  for  his  employer  by  paying  the  sum  in 
advance.  But  when  he  reported  this  bit  of 
economy  to  Mr.  Brewster  he  was  surprised 
that  it  brought  forth  a  frown.  "I  never  saw  a 
man  who  had  less  sense  about  money,"  mut 
tered  "Nopper"  to  himself.  "Why,  he  spends 
it  like  a  Chicago  millionaire  trying  to  get  into 
New  York  society.  If  it  were  not  for  the  rest 
of  us  he'd  be  a  pauper  in  six  months." 

Paul  Pettingill,  to  his  own  intense  surprise 
and,  it  must  be  said,  consternation,  was 
engaged  to  redecorate  certain  rooms  accord 
ing  to  a  plan  suggested  by  the  tenant.  The 
rising  young  artist,  in  a  great  flurry  of  excite 
ment,  agreed  to  do  the  work  for  $500,  and  then 

49 


50  BREWSTER  S  MILLIONS 

blushed  like  a  schoolgirl  when  he  was  informed 
by  the  practical  Brewster  that  the  paints  and 
material  for  one  room  alone  would  cost  twice 
as  much. 

"Petty,  you  have  no  more  idea  of  business 
than  a  goat,"  criticized  Montgomery,  and  Paul 
lowered  his  head  in  humble  confession.  "That 
man  who  calcimines  your  studio  could  figure  on 
a  piece  of  work  with  more  intelligence  than  you 
reveal.  I'll  pay  $2,500.  It's  only  a  fair  price, 
and  I  can't  afford  anything  cheap  in  this  place." 

"At  this  rate  you  won't  be  able  to  afford 
anything,"  said  Pettingill  to  himself. 

And  so  it  was  that  Pettingill  and  a  corps  of 
decorators  soon  turned  the  rooms  into  a  con 
fusion  of  scaffoldings  and  paint  buckets,  out  of 
which  in  the  end  emerged  something  very  dis 
tinguished.  No  one  had  ever  thought  Pettingill 
deficient  in  ideas,  and  this  was  his  opportunity. 
The  only  drawback  was  the  time  limit  which 
Brewster  so  remorselessly  fixed.  Without  that 
he  felt  that  he  could  have  done  something 
splendid  in  the  way  of  decorative  panels  — 
something  that  would  make  even  the  glory  of 
Puvis  de  Chavannes  turn  pallid.  With  it  he 
was  obliged  to  curb  his  turbulent  ideas,  and 
he  decided  that  a  rich  simplicity  was  the 
proper  note.  The  result  was  gorgeous,  but 


MONTY  CRISTO  51 

not  too  gorgeous, — it  had  depth  and  dis 
tinction. 

Elated  and  eager,  he  assisted  Brewster  in 
selecting  furniture  and  hangings  for  each 
room,  but  he  did  not  know  that  his  em 
ployer  was  making  conditional  purchases  of 
everything.  Mr.  Brewster  had  agreements 
with  all  tne  dealers  to  the  effect  that  they 
were  to  buy  everything  back  at  a  fair  price, 
if  he  desired  to  give  up  his  establishment 
within  a  year.  He  adhered  to  this  rule  in  all 
cases  that  called  for  the  purchase  outright 
of  substantial  necessities.  The  bump  of  cal- 
culativeness  in  Monty  Brewster' s  head  was 
growing  to  abnormal  proportions. 

In  retaining  his  rooms  at  Mrs.  Gray's,  he 
gave  the  flimsy  but  pathetic  excuse  that  he 
wanted  a  place  in  which  he  might  find  occa 
sional  seasons  of  peace  and  quiet.  When  Mrs. 
Gray  protested  against  this  useless  bit  of  extrav 
agance,  his  grief  was  so  obviously  genuine 
that  her  heart  was  touched,  and  there  was  a 
deep,  fervent  joy  in  her  soul.  She  loved  this 
fair-faced  boy,  and  tears  of  happiness  came  to 
her  eyes  when  she  was  given  this  new  proof 
of  his  loyalty  and  devotion.  His  rooms  were 
kept  for  him  just  as  if  he  had  expected  to 
occupy  them  every  day  and  every  night,  not- 


52  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

withstanding  the  luxurious  apartments  he  was  to 
maintain  elsewhere.  The  Oliver  Optic  books 
still  lay  in  the  attic,  all  tattered  and  torn,  but 
to  Margaret  the  embodiment  of  prospective 
riches,  promises  of  sweet  hours  to  come.  She 
knew  Monty  well  enough  to  feel  that  he  would 
not  forget  the  dark  little  attic  of  old  for  all 
the  splendors  that  might  come  with  the  new 
dispensation. 

There  was  no  little  surprise  when  he  sent  out 
invitations  for  a  large  dinner.  His  grandfather 
had  been  dead  less  than  a  month,  and  society 
was  somewhat  scandalized  by  the  plain  symp 
toms  of  disrespect  he  was  showing.  No  one 
had  expected  him  to  observe  a  prolonged 
season  of  mourning,  but  that  he  should  disre 
gard  the  formalities  completely  was  rather 
shocking.  Some  of  the  older  people,  who  had 
not  long  to  live  and  who  had  heirs-apparent, 
openly  denounced  his  heartlessness.  It  was 
not  very  gratifying  to  think  of  what  might  be 
in  store  for  them  if  all  memories  were  as  short 
as  Brewster's.  Old  Mrs.  Ketchell  changed  her 
will,  and  two  nephews  were  cut  off  entirely;  a 
very  modest  and  impecunious  grandson  of 
Joseph  Garrity  also  was  to  sustain  a  severe 
change  of  fortune  in  the  near  future,  if  the  cards 
spoke  correctly.  Judge  Van  Woort,  who  was  not 


MONTY  CRISTO  53 

expected  to  live  through  the  night,  got  better 
immediately  after  hearing  some  one  in  the 
sick-room  whisper  that  Montgomery  Brewster 
was  to  give  a  big  dinner.  Naturally,  the 
heirs-to-be,  condemned  young  Brewster  in  no 
uncertain  terms. 

Nevertheless,  the  dinner  to  be  given  by  the 
grandson  of  old  Edwin  Peter  Brewster  was  the 
talk  of  the  town,  and  not  one  of  the  sixty 
invited  guests  could  have  been  persuaded  to 
miss  it.  Reports  as  to  its  magnificence  were 
abroad  long  before  the  night  set  for  the  dinner. 
One  of  them  had  it  that  it  was  to  cost  $3,000  a 
plate.  From  that  figure  the  legendary  price 
receded  to  a  mark  as  low  as  $500.  Montgom 
ery  would  have  been  only  too  glad  to  pay  $3,000 
or  more,  but  some  mysterious  force  conveyed 
to  his  mind  a  perfect  portrait  of  Swearengen 
Jones  in  the  act  of  putting  down  a  large  black 
mark  against  him,  and  he  forbore. 

"I  wish  I  knew  whether  I  had  to  abide  by 
the  New  York  or  the  Montana  standard  of 
extravagance,"  Brewster  said  to  himself.  "I 
wonder  if  he  ever  sees  the  New  York  papers." 

Late  each  night  the  last  of  the  grand  old 
Brewster  family  went  to  his  bedroom  where, 
after  dismissing  his  man,  he  settled  down  at 
his  desk,  with  a  pencil  and  a  pad  of  paper. 


54  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

Lighting  the  candles,  which  were  more  easily 
managed,  he  found,  than  lamps,  and  much 
more  costly,  he  thoughtfully  and  religiously 
calculated  his  expenses  for  trie  day.  "Nopper' ' 
Harrison  and  Elon  Gardner  had  the  receipts  for 
all  moneys  spent,  and  Joe  Bragdon  was  keeping 
an  official  report,  but  the  "chief,"  as  they 
called  him,  could  not  go  to  sleep  until  he  was 
satisfied  in  his  own  mind  that  he  was  keeping 
up  the  average.  For  the  first  two  weeks  it  had 
been  easy — in  fact,  he  seemed  to  have  quite  a 
comfortable  lead  in  the  race.  He  had  spent  al 
most  $100,000  in  the  fortnight,  but  he  realized 
that  the  greater  part  of  it  had  gone  into  the 
yearly  and  not  the  daily  expense-account.  He 
kept  a  "profit  and  loss"  entry  in  his  little  pri 
vate  ledger,  but  it  was  not  like  any  other 
account  of  the  kind  in  the  world.  What  the 
ordinary  merchant  would  have  charged  to 
"loss"  he  jotted  down  on  the  "profit"  side,  and 
he  was  continually  looking  for  opportunities 
to  swell  the  total. 

Rawles,  who  had  been  his  grandfather's 
butler  since  the  day  after  he  landed  in  New 
York,  came  over  to  the  grandson's  establish 
ment,  greatly  to  the  wrath  and  confusion  of  the 
latter's  Aunt  Emmeline.  The  chef  came  from 
Paris  and  his  name  was  Detuit.  Ellis,  the  foot- 


MONTY  CRISTO  55 

man,  also  found  a  much  better  berth  with  Monty 
than  he  had  had  in  the  house  on  the  avenue. 
Aunt  Emmeline  never  forgave  her  nephew  for 
these  base  and  disturbing  acts  of  treachery,  as 
she  called  them. 

One  of  Monty's  most  extraordinary  financial 
feats  grew  out  of  the  purchase  of  a  $14,000 
automobile.  He  blandly  admitted  to  "Nopper" 
Harrison  and  the  two  secretaries  that  he 
intended  to  use  it  to  practice  with  only,  and 
that  as  soon  as  he  learned  how  to  run  an 
"auto"  as  it  should  be  run  he  expected  to  buy 
a  good,  sensible,  durable  machine  for  $7,000. 

His  staff  officers  frequently  put  their  heads 
together  to  devise  ways  and  means  of  curbing 
Monty's  reckless  extravagance.  They  were 
worried. 

"He's  like  a  sailor  in  port,"  protested  Har 
rison.  "Money  is  no  object  if  he  wants  a 
thing,  and — damn  it — he  seems  to  want  every 
thing  he  sees." 

"It  won't  last  long,"  Gardner  said,  reassur 
ingly.  "Like  his  namesake,  Monte  Cristo,  the 
world  is  his  just  now  and  he  wants  to  enjoy  it." 

"He  wants  to  get  rid  of   it,  it  seems  to  me." 

Whenever  they  reproached  Brewster  about 
the  matter  he  disarmed  them  by  saying,  "Now 
that  I've  got  money  I  mean  to  give  my  friends 


56  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

a  good   time.      Just  what  you'd  do  if  you  were 
in  my  place.      What's  money  for,  anyway?" 

"But  this  $3,ooo-a-plate  dinner " 

'I'm  going  to  give  a  dozen  of  them,  and 
even  then  I  can't  pay  my  just  debts.  For 
years  I've  been  entertained  at  people's  houses 
and  have  been  taken  cruising  on  their  yachts. 
They  have  always  been  bully  to  me,  and  what 
have  I  ever  done  for  them?  Nothing.  Now 
that  I  can  afford  it,  I  am  going  to  return  some 
of  those  favors  and  square  myself.  Doesn't  it 
sound  reasonable?" 

And  so  preparations  for  Monty's  dinner 
went  on.  In  addition  to  what  he  called  his 
"efficient  corps  of  gentlemanly  aids"  he  had 
secured  the  services  of  Mrs.  Dan  DeMille 
as  "social  mentor  and  utility  chaperon." 
Mrs.  DeMille  was  known  in  the  papers  as  the 
leader  of  the  fast  younger  married  set.  She 
was  one  of  the  cleverest  and  best-looking  young 
women  in  town,  and  her  husband  was  of 
those  who  did  not  have  to  be  "invited  too." 
Mr.  DeMille  lived  at  the  club  and  visited  his 
home.  Some  one  said  that  he  was  so  slow  and 
his  wife  so  fast  that  when  she  invited  him  to 
dinner  he  was  usually  two  or  three  days  late. 
Altogether  Mrs.  DeMille  was  a  decided  acqui 
sition  to  Brewster's  campaign  committee.  It 


MONTY  CRISTO  57 

required  just  her  touch  to  make  his  parties 
fun  instead  of  funny. 

It  was  on  October  i8th  that  the  dinner  was 
given.  With  the  skill  of  a  general  Mrs.  Dan 
had  seated  the  guests  in  such  a  way  that  from 
the  beginning  things  went  off  with  zest. 
Colonel  Drew  took  in  Mrs.  Valentine  and  his 
content  was  assured;  Mr.  Van  Winkle  and  the 
beautiful  Miss  Valentine  were  side  by  side  and 
no  one  could  say  he  looked  unhappy;  Mr. 
Cromwell  went  in  with  Mrs.  Savage;  and  the 
same  delicate  tact — in  some  cases  it  was  almost 
indelicate — was  displayed  in  the  disposition  of 
other  guests. 

Somehow  they  had  come  with  the  expecta 
tion  of  being  bored.  Curiosity  prompted 
them  to  accept,  but  it  did  not  prevent  the  sub 
sequent  inevitable  lassitude.  Socially  Monty 
Brewster  had  yet  to  make  himself  felt.  He 
and  his  dinners  were  something  to  talk  about, 
but  they  were  accepted  hesitatingly,  haltingly. 
People  wondered  how  he  had  secured  the 
cooperation  of  Mrs.  Dan,  but  then  Mrs.  Dan 
always"  did  go  in  for  a  new  toy.  To  her  was 
inevitably  attributed  whatever  success  the 
dinner  achieved.  And  it  was  no  small  meas 
ure.  Yet  there  was  nothing  startling  about  the 
affair.  Monty  had  decided  to  begin  conserve- 


58  SREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

tively.  He  did  the  conventional  thing,  but  he 
did  it  well.  He  added  a  touch  or  two  of 
luxury,  the  faintest  aroma  of  splendor.  Pet- 
tingill  had  designed  the  curiously  wayward 
table,  with  its  comfortable  atmosphere  of  com 
panionship,  and  arranged  its  decoration  of 
great  lavender  orchids  and  lacy  butterfly 
festoons  of  white  ones  touched  with  yellow. 
He  had  wanted  to  use  dahlias  in  thc-ir  many 
rich  shades  from  pale  yellow  to  orange  and 
deep  red,  but  Monty  held  out  for  orchids.  It 
was  the  artist,  too,  who  had  found  in  a  rare 
and  happy  moment  the  massive  gold  candela 
bra — ancient  things  of  a  more  luxurious  age — 
and  their  opalescent  shades.  Against  his 
advice  the  service,  too,  was  of  gold,' — "rank 
vulgarity,"  he  called  it,  with  its  rich  meaning 
less  ornamentation.  But  here  Monty  was 
obdurate.  He  insisted  that  he  liked  the  color 
and  that  porcelain  had  no  character.  Mrs. 
Dan  only  prevented  a  quarrel  by  suggesting  that 
several  courses  should  be  served  upon  Sevres. 
Pettingill's  scheme  for  lighting  the  room  was 
particularly  happy.  For  the  benefit  of  his 
walls  and  the  four  lovely  Monets  which  Monty 
had  purchased  at  his  instigation,  he  had  de 
signed  a  ceiling  screen  of  heavy  rich  glass  in 
tones  of  white  that  grew  into  yellow  and  dull 


MONTY  CRISTO  59 

green.  It  served  to  conceal  the  lights  in  the 
daytime,  and  at  night  the  glare  of  electricity 
was  immensely  softened  and  made  harmonious 
by  passing  through  it.  It  gave  a  note  of  quiet 
to  the  picture,  which  caused  even  these  men 
and  women,  who  had  been  here  and  there  and 
seen  many  things,  to  draw  in  their  breath 
sharply.  Altogether  the  effect  manifestly  made 
an  impression. 

Such  an  environment  had  its  influence  upon 
the  company.  It  went  far  toward  making  the 
dinner  a  success.  From  far  in  the  distance 
came  the  softened  strains  of  Hungarian  music, 
and  never  had  the  little  band  played  the  "Valse 
Amoureuse"  and  the  "Valse  Bleue"  with  the 
spirit  it  put  into  them  that  night.  Yet  the  soft 
clamor  in  the  dining-room  insistently  ignored 
the  emotion  of  the  music.  Monty,  bored  as 
he  was  between  the  two  most  important 
dowagers  at  the  feast,  wondered  dimly  what 
invisible  part  it  played  in  making  things  go. 
He  had  a  vagrant  fancy  that  without  it  there 
would  have  been  no  zest  for  talk,  no  noisy 
competition  to  overcome,  no  hurdles  to  leap." 
As  it  was,  the  talk  certainly  went  well,  and 
Mrs.  Dan  inspected  the  result  of  her  work 
from  time  to  time  with  smiling  satisfaction. 
From  across  the  table  she  heard  Colonel  Drew's 


60  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

voice, — "Brewster  evidently  objects  to  a  long 
siege.  He  is  planning  to  carry  us  by  assault." 

Mrs.  Dan  turned  to  "Subway"  Smith,  who  was 
at  her  right — the  latest  addition  to  her  menag 
erie.  "What  is  this  friend  of  yours?"  she 
asked.  "I  have  never  seen  such  complex  sim 
plicity.  This  new  plaything  has  no  real  charm 
for  him.  He  is  breaking  it  to  find  out  what  it 
is  made  of.  And  something  will  happen  when 
he  discovers  the  sawdust." 

"Oh, don't  worry  about  him,"  said"Subway," 
easily;  "Monty's  at  least  a  good  sportsman. 
He  won't  complain,  whatever  happens.  He'll 
accept  the  reckoning  and  pay  the  piper." 

It  was  only  toward  the  end  of  the  evening 
that  Monty  found  his  reward  in  a  moment  with 
Barbara  Drew.  He  stood  before  her,  squaring 
his  shoulders  belligerently  to  keep  away 
intruders,  and  she  smiled  up  at  him  in  that 
bewildering  fashion  of  hers.  But  it  was  only  for 
an  instant,  and  then  came  a  terrifying  din  from 
the  dining-room,  followed  by  the  clamor  of 
crashing  glass.  The  guests  tried  for  a  moment 
to  be  courteously  oblivious,  but  the  noise  was 
so  startling  that  such  politeness  became  farcical. 
The  host,  with  a  little  laugh,  went  down  the 
hall.  It  was  the  beautiful  screen  near  the 
ceiling  that  had  fallen.  A  thousand  pieces  of 


MONTY  CRISTO  61 

shattered  glass  covered  the  place.  The  table 
was  a  sickening  heap  of  crushed  orchids 
and  sputtering  candles.  Frightened  servants 
rushed  into  the  room  from  one  side  just  as 
Brewster  entered  from  the  other.  Stupefac 
tion  halted  them.  After  the  first  pulseless 
moment  of  horror,  exclamations  of  dismay 
went  up  on  all  sides.  For  Monty  Brewster  the 
first  sensation  of  regret  was  followed  by  a 
diabolical  sense  of  joy. 

"Thank  the  Lord!"  he  said  softly  in  the 
hush. 

The  look  of  surprise  he  encountered  in  the 
faces  of  his  guests  brought  him  up  with  a  jerk. 

"That  it  didn't  happen  while  we  were 
dining,"  he  added  with  serene  thankfulness. 
And  his  nonchalance  scored  for  him  in  the 
idle  game  he  was  playing. 


VII 

A    LESSON  /.V    TACT 

Mr.  Brewster's  butler  was  surprised  and 
annoyed.  For  the  first  time  in  his  official 
career  he  had  unbent  so  far  as  to  manifest  a 
personal  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  master. 
He  was  on  the  verge  of  assuming"  a  responsi 
bility  which  makes  any  servant  intolerable. 
But  after  his  interview  he  resolved  that  he 
would  never  again  overstep  his  position.  He 
made  sure  that  it  should  be  the  last  offense. 
The  day  following  the  dinner  Rawles  appeared 
before  young  Mr.  Brewster  and  indicated 
by  his  manner  that  the  call  was  an  important 
one.  Brewster  was  seated  at  his  writing- 
table,  deep  in  thought.  The  exclamation  that 
followed  Rawles'  cough  of  announcement  was 
so  sharp  and  so  unmistakably  fierce  that  all 
other  evidence  paled  into  insignificance.  The 
butler's  interruption  came  at  a  moment  when 
Monty's  mental  arithmetic  was  pulling  itself 
out  of  a  very  bad  rut,  and  the  cough  drove  it 
back  into  chaos. 

"What     is     it?"     he     demanded,     irritably. 
62 


A  LESSON  IN   TACT  63 

Rawles    had    upset    his    calculations    to    the 
extent  of  seven  or  eight  hundred  dollars. 

"I  came  to  report  h'an  h'unfortunate  condi 
tion  h'among  the  servants,  sir,"  said  Rawles, 
stiffening  as  his  responsibility  became  more 
and  more  weighty.  He  had  relaxed  temporarily 
upon  entering  the  room. 

"What's  the  trouble?" 

"The  trouble's  h'ended,  sir." 

"Then  why  bother  me  about  it?" 

"I  thought  it  would  be  well  for  you  to  know, 
sir.  The  servants  was  going  to  ask  for  'igher 
wiges  to-day,  sir." 

"You  say  they  were  going  to  ask?  Aren't 
they?"  And  Monty's  eyes  lighted  up  at  the 
thought  of  new  possibilities. 

"I  convinced  them,  sir,  as  how  they  were  get 
ting  good  pay  as  it  is,  sir,  and  that  they  ought 
to  be  satisfied.  They'd  be  a  long  time  rinding 
a  better  place  and  as  good  wiges.  They  'aven't 
been  with  you  a  week,  and  here  they  are  strikin' 
for  more  pay.  Really,  sir,  these  American 
servants — 

"Rawles,  that'll  do!"  exploded  Monty.  The 
butler's  chin  went  up  and  his  cheeks  grew 
redder  than  ever. 

"I  beg  pardon,  sir,"  he  gasped,  with  a 
respectful  but  injured  air. 


64  BRE  WSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"Rawles,  you  will  kindly  not  interfere  in 
such  matters  again.  It  is  not  only  the  privi 
lege,  but  the  duty  of  every  American  to  strike 
for  higher  pay  whenever  he  feels  like  it,  and  I 
want  it  distinctly  understood  that  I  am  heartily 
in  favor  of  their  attitude.  You  will  kindly  go 
back  and  tell  them  that  after  a  reasonable 
length  of  service  their  wiges — I  mean  wages — 
shall  be  increased.  Arid  don1 1  meddle  again, 
Rawles." 

Late  that  afternoon  Brewster  dropped  in  at 
Mrs.  DeMille's  to  talk  over  plans  for  the  next 
dinner.  He  realized  that  in  no  other  way 
could  he  squander  his  money  with  a  better 
chance  of  getting  its  worth  than  by  throwing 
himself  bodily  into  society.  It  went  easily, 
and  there  could  be  only  one  asset  arising  from 
it  in  the  end — his  own  sense  of  disgust. 

"So  glad  to  see  you,  Monty,"  greeted  Mrs. 
Dan,  glowingly,  coming  in  with  a  rush. 
"Come  upstairs  and  I'll  give  you  some  tea  and 
a  cigarette.  I'm  not  at  home  to  anybody." 

"That's  very  good  of  you,  Mrs.  Dan," 
said  he,  as  they  mounted  the  stairs.  "I  don't 
know  what  I'd  do  without  your  help."  He 
was  thinking  how  pretty  she  was. 

"You'd  be  richer,  at  any  rate,"  turning  to 
smile  upon  him  from  the  upper  landing.  "I  was 


A  LESSON  /A'    TACT  65 

in  tears  half  the  night,  Monty,  over  that  glass 
screen,"  she  said,  after  finding  a  comfortable 
place  among  the  cushions  of  a  divan.  Brewster 
dropped  into  a  roomy,  lazy  chair  in  front  of  her 
and  handed  her  a  cigarette,  as  he  responded 
carelessly: 

"It  amounted  to  nothing.  Of  course,  it  was 
very  annoying  that  it  should  happen  while  the 
guests  were  still  there."  Then  he  added, 
gravely,  "In  strict  confidence,  I  had  planned 
to  have  it  fall  just  as  we  were  pushing  back 
our  chairs,  but  the  confounded  thing  disap 
pointed  me.  That's  the  trouble  with  these 
automatic  climaxes;  they  usually  hang  fire.  It 
was  to  have  been  a  sort  of  Fall  of  Babylon 
effect,  you  know." 

"Splendid!  But  like  Babylon,  it  fell  at 
the  wrong  time." 

For  a  lively  quarter  of  an  hour  they  dis 
cussed  people  about  town,  liberally  approving 
the  slandered  and  denouncing  the  slanderers. 
A  still  busier  quarter  of  an  hour  ensued  when 
together  they  made  up  the  list  of  dinner 
guests.  He  moved  a  little  writing-table  up 
to  the  divan,  and  she  looked  on  eagerly  while 
he  wrote  down  the  names  she  suggested 
after  many  puckerings  of  her  fair,  aristocratic 
brow,  and  then  drew  lines  through  them  when 


66  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

she  changed  her  mind.  Mrs.  Dan  DeMille 
handled  her  people  without  gloves  in  making 
up  Monty's  lists.  The  dinners  were  not  hers, 
and  she  could  afford  to  do  as  she  pleased  with 
his;  he  was  broad  and  tall  and  she  was  not  slow 
to  see  that  he  was  indifferent.  He  did  not  care 
who  the  guests  were,  or  how  they  came;  he 
merely  wished  to  make  sure  of  their  presence. 
His  only  blunder  was  the  rather  diffident 
recommendation  that  Barbara  Drew  be  asked 
again.  If  he  observed  that  Mrs.  Dan's  head 
sank  a  little  closer  to  the  paper,  he  attached 
no  importance  to  the  movement;  he  could 
not  see  that  her  eyes  grew  narrow,  and  he 
paid  no  attention  to  the  little  catch  in  her 
breath. 

"Wouldn't  that  be  a  little— just  a  little  pro 
nounced?"  she  asked,  lightly  enough. 
"You  mean — that  people  might  talk?" 
"She  might  feel  conspicuously  present." 
"Do    you    think    so?      We   are    such    good 
friends,  you  know." 

"Of  course,  if  you'd  like  to  have  her," 
slowly  and  doubtfully,  "why,  put  her  name 
down.  But  you  evidently  haven't  seen  that." 
Mrs.  Dan  pointed  to  a  copy  of  the  Trumpet 
which  lay  on  the  table. 

When    he   had    handed    her   the   paper   she 


A  LESSON  IN  TACT  67 

said,  '  'The  Censor'  is  growing  facetious  at 
your  expense." 

"I  am  getting  on  in  society  with  a  vengeance 
if  that  ass  starts  in  to  write  about  me.  Listen 
to  this" — she  had  pointed  out  to  him  the 
obnoxious  paragraph —  '  'If  Brewster  Drew  a 
diamond  flush,  do  you  suppose  he'd  catch  the 
queen?  And  if  he  caught  her,  how  long  do 
you  think  she'd  remain  Drew?  Or,  if  she 
Drew  Brewster,  would  she  be  willing  to  learn 
such  a  game  as  Monte?'  ' 

The  next  morning  a  writer  who  signed  him 
self  "The  Censor"  got  a  thrashing  and  one 
Montgomery  Brewster  had  his  name  in  the 
papers,  surrounded  by  fulsome  words  of  praise. 


VIII 

THE  FORELOCK  OF  TIME 

One  morning  not  long  after  the  incidents 
just  related,  Brewster  lay  in  bed,  staring  at  the 
ceiling,  deep  in  thought.  There  was  a  worried 
pucker  on  his  forehead,  half-hidden  by  the 
rumpled  hair,  and  his  eyes  were  wide  and  sleep 
less.  He  had  dined  at  the  Drew's  the  evening 
before  and  had  had  an  awakening.  As  he 
thought  of  the  matter  he  could  recall  no  spe 
cial  occurrence  that  he  could  really  use  as 
evidence.  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Drew  had  been 
as  kind  as  ever  and  Barbara  could  not  have 
been  more  charming.  But  something  had  gone 
wrong  and  he  had  endured  a  wretched  evening. 

"That  little  English  Johnnie  was  to  blame," 
he  argued.  "Of  course,  Barbara  had  a  right 
to  put  any  one  she  liked  next  to  her,  but  why 
she  should  have  chosen  that  silly  ass  is  more 
than  I  know.  By  Jove,  if  I  had  been  on  the 
other  side  I'll  warrant  his  grace  would  have 
been  lost  in  the  dust." 

His  brain  was  whirling,  and  for  the  first 
time  he  was  beginning  to  feel  the  unpleasant 


THE  FORELOCK  OF  TIME  69 

pangs  of  jealousy.  The  Duke  of  Beauchamp 
he  especially  disliked,  although  the  poor 
man  had  hardly  spoken  during  the  dinner. 
But  Monty  could  not  be  reconciled.  He  knew, 
of  course,  that  Barbara  had  suitors  by  the 
dozen,  but  it  had  never  occurred  to  him  that 
they  were  even  seriously  considered.  Notwith 
standing  the  fact  that  his  encounter  with  "The 
Censor"  had  brought  her  into  undesirable 
notice,  she  forgave  him  everything  after  a 
moment's  consideration.  The  first  few  wrenches 
of  resentment  were  overbalanced  by  her 
American  appreciation  of  chivalry,  however 
inspired.  "The  Censor"  had  gone  for  years 
unpunished;  his  coarse  wit  being  aimed  at 
every  one  who  had  come  into  social  promi 
nence.  So  pungent  and  vindictive  was  his 
pen  that  other  men  feared  him,  and  there 
were  many  who  lived  in  glass  houses  in 
terror  of  a  fusilade.  Brewster's  prompt  and 
sufficient  action  had  checked  the  pernicious 
attacks,  and  he  became  a  hero  among  men  and 
women.  After  that  night  there  was  no  point 
to  "The  Censor's"  pen.  Monty's  first  qualms 
of  apprehension  were  swept  away  when 
Colonel  Drew  himself  hailed  him  the  morning 
after  the  encounter  and,  in  no  unmeasured 
terms,  congratulated  him  upon  his  achieve- 


70  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

ment,  assuring  him  that  Barbara  and  Mrs. 
Drew  approved,  although  they  might  lecture 
him  as  a  matter  of  form. 

But  on  this  morning,  as  he  lay  in  his  bed, 
Monty  was  thinking  deeply  and  painfully.  He 
was  confronted  by  a  most  embarrassing  condi 
tion  and  he  was  discussing  it  soberly  with 
himself.  "I've  never  told  her,"  he  said  to 
himself,  "but  if  she  doesn't  know  my  feeling 
she  is  not  as  clever  as  I  think.  Besides,  I 
haven't  time  to  make  love  to  her  now.  If  it 
were  any  other  girl  I  suppose  I'd  have  to,  but 
Babs,  why,  she  must  understand.  And  yet— 
damn  that  Duke!" 

In  order  to  woo  her  properly  he  would  be 
compelled  to  neglect  financial  duties  that 
needed  every  particle  of  brain-energy  at  his 
command.  He  found  himself  opposed  at  the 
outset  by  a  startling  embarrassment,  made 
absolutely  clear  by  the  computations  of  the 
night  before.  The  last  four  days  of  indiffer 
ence  to  finance  on  one  side,  and  pampering 
the  heart  on  the  other,  had  proved  very  costly. 
To  use  his  own  expression,  he  had  been  "set 
back"  almost  eight  thousand  dollars.  An 
average  like  that  would  be  ruinous. 

"Why,  think  of  it,"  he  continued.  "For 
each  day  sacrificed  to  Barbara  I  must  deduct 


THE  FORELOCK  OF  TIME  71 

something  like  twenty-five  hundred  dollars.  A 
long  campaign  would  put  me  irretrievably  in 
the  hole;  I'd  get  so  far  behind  that  a  holo 
caust  couldn't  put  me  even.  She  can't  expect 
that  of  me,  yet  girls  are  such  idiots  about 
devotion,  and  of  course  she  doesn't  know  what 
a  heavy  task  I'm  facing.  And  there  are  the 
others — what  will  they  do  while  I  am  out  of  the 
running?  I  cannot  go  to  her  and  say,  'Please, 
may  1  have  a  year's  vacation?  I' 11  come  back 
next  September.'  On  the  other  hand,  I  shall 
surely  neglect  my  business  if  she  expects  me 
to  compete.  What  pleasure  shall  I  get  out 
of  the  seven  millions  if  I  lose  her?  I  can't 
afford  to  take  chances.  That  Duke  won't 
have  seven  millions  next  September,  it's  true, 
but  he'll  have  a  prodigious  argument  against 
me,  about  the  twenty  first  or  second." 

Then  a  brilliant  thought  occurred  to  him 
which  caused  him  to  ring  for  a  messenger-boy 
with  such  a  show  of  impatience  that  Rawles  stood 
aghast.  The  telegram  which  Monty  wrote 
was  as  follows: 

SWEARENGEN  JONES, 

Butte,  Montana. 

May  I  marry  and  turn  all  property  over  to  wife,  pro 
viding  she  will  have  me? 

MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER. 


72  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

"Why  isn't  that  reasonable?"  he  asked  him 
self  after  the  boy  had  gone.  "Making  prop 
erty  over  to  one's  wife  is  neither  a  loan  nor  is 
it  charity.  Old  Jones  might  call  it  needless 
extravagance,  since  he's  a  bachelor,  but  it's 
generally  done  because  it's  good  business." 
Monty  was  hopeful. 

Following  his  habit  in  trouble,  he  sought 
Margaret  Gray,  to  whom  he  could  always 
appeal  for  advice  and  consolation.  She  was 
to  come  to  his  next  dinner-party,  and  it  was 
easy  to  lead  up  to  the  subject  in  hand  by  men 
tioning  the  other  guests. 

"And  Barbara  Drew,"  he  concluded,  after 
naming  all  the  others.  They  were  alone  in  the 
library,  and  she  was  drinking  in  the  details  of 
the  dinner  as  he  related  them. 

"Wasn't  she  at  your  first  dinner?"  she  asked, 
quickly. 

He  successfully  affected  mild  embarrass 
ment. 

"Yes." 

"She  must  be  very  attractive."  There  was 
no  venom  in  Peggy's  heart. 

"She  is  attractive.  In  fact,  she's  one  of  the 
best,  Peggy,"  he  said,  paving  the  way. 

"It's  too  bad  she  seems  to  care  for  that  little 
Duke." 


THE  FORELOCK  OF  TIME  73 

"He's  a  bounder,"  he  argued. 

"Well,  don't  take  it  to  heart.  You  don't 
have  to  marry  him,"  and  Peggy  laughed. 

"But  I  do  take  it  to  heart,  Peggy,"  said 
Monty,  seriously.  "I'm  pretty  hard  hit,  and 
I  want  your  help.  A  sister's  advice  is  always 
the  best  in  a  matter  of  this  sort." 

She  looked  into  his  eyes  dully  for  an  instant, 
not  realizing  the  full  importance  of  his  con 
fession. 

"You,  Monty?"  she  said,  increduously. 

"I've  got  it  bad,  Peggy,"  he  replied,  star 
ing  hard  at  the  floor.  She  could  not  understand 
the  cold,  gray  tone  that  suddenly  enveloped 
the  room.  The  strange  sense  of  loneliness 
that  came  over  her  was  inexplicable.  The 
little  something  that  rose  in  her  throat 
would  not  be  dislodged,  nor  could  she  throw 
off  the  weight  that  seemed  pressing  down  upon 
her.  He  saw  the  odd  look  in  her  eyes  and  the 
drawn,  uncertain  smile  on  her  lips,  but  he 
attributed  them  to  wonder  and  incredulity. 
Somehow,  after  all  these  years,  he  was  trans 
formed  before  her  very  eyes;  she  was  looking 
upon  a  new  personality.  He  was  no  longer 
Montgomery,  the  brother,  but  she  could  not 
explain  how  and  when  the  change  crept  over 
her.  What  did  it  all  mean?  "I  am  very  glad 


74  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

if  it  will  make  you  happy,  Monty,"  she  said 
slowly,  the  gray  in  her  lips  giving  way  to  red 
once  more.  "Does  she  know?" 

"I  haven't  told  her  in  so  many  words,  Peggy, 
but — but  I'm  going  to  this  evening,"  he 
announced,  lamely. 

"This  evening?" 

"I  can't  wait,'3  Monty  said  as  he  rose  to  go. 
"I'm  glad  you're  pleased,  Peggy;  I  need  your 
good  wishes.  And  Peggy,"  he  continued,  with 
a  touch  of  boyish  wistfulness,  "do  you  think 
there's  a  chance  for  a  fellow?  I've  had  the 
very  deuce  of  a  time  over  that  English 
man." 

It  was  not  quite  easy  for  her  to  say,  "Monty, 
you  are  the  best  in  the  world.  Go  in  and 
win." 

From  the  window  she  watched  him  swing  off 
down  the  street,  wondering  if  he  would  turn  to 
wave  his  hand  to  her,  his  custom  for  years. 
But  the  broad  back  was  straight  and  uncompro 
mising.  His  long  strides  carried  him  swiftly 
out  of  sight,  but  it  was  many  minutes  before 
she  turned  her  eyes,  which  were  smarting,  a 
little  from  the  point  where  he  was  lost  in  the 
crowd.  The  room  looked  ashen  to  her  as  she 
brought  her  mind  back  to  it,  and  somehow 
things  had  grown  difficult. 


THE  FORELOCK  OF  TIME  75 

When  Montgomery  reached  home  he  found 
this  telegram  from  Mr.  Jones. 
MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER, 
New  York  City. 
Stick  to  your  knitting,  you  damned  fool. 

S.  JONES. 


IX 

LOVE  AND  A   PRIZE-FIGHT 

It  is  best  not  to  repeat  the  expressions 
Brewster  used  regarding  one  S.  Jones,  after 
reading  his  telegram.  But  he  felt  consider 
ably  relieved  after  he  had  uttered  them.  He 
fell  to  reading  accounts  of  the  big  prize 
fight  which  was  to  take  place  in  San  Francisco 
that  evening.  He  revelled  in  the  descrip 
tions  of  "upper  cuts"  and  "left  hooks,"  and 
learned  incidentally  that  the  affair  was  to 
be  quite  one-sided.  A  local  amateur  was 
to  box  a  champion.  Quick  to  see  an  oppor 
tunity,  and  cajoling  himself  into  the  belief  that 
Swearengen  Jones  could  not  object  to  such  a 
display  of  sportsmanship,  Brewster  made  Harri 
son  book  several  good  wagers  on  the  result. 
He  intimated  that  he  had  reason  to  be 
lieve  that  the  favorite  would  lose.  Harrison 
soon  placed  three  thousand  dollars  on  his  man. 
The  young  financier  felt  so  sure  of  the  result 
that  he  entered  the  bets  on  the  profit  side  of 
his  ledger  the  moment  he  received  Harrison's 
report. 

76 


LOVE  AND  A   PRIZE-FIGHT  77 

This  done,  he  telephoned  Miss  Drew.  She 
was  not  insensible  to  the  significance  of  his 
inquiry  if  she  would  be  in  that  afternoon.  She 
had  observed  in  him  of  late  a  condition  of 
uneasiness,  supplemented  by  moroseness  and 
occasional  periods  of  irascibility.  Every 
girl  whose  occupation  in  life  is  the  study  of 
men  recognizes  these  symptoms  and  knows 
how  to  treat  them.  Barbara  had  dealt  with 
many  men  afflicted  in  this  manner,  and  the 
flutter  of  anticipation  that  came  with  his  urgent 
plea  to  see  her  was  tempered  by  experience. 
It  had  something  of  joy  in  it,  for  she  cared 
enough  for  Montgomery  Brewster  to  have 
made  her  anxiously  uncertain  of  his  state  of 
mind.  She  cared,  indeed,  much  more  than  she 
intended  to  confess  at  the  outset. 

It  was  nearly  half  past  five  when  he  came, 
and  for  once  the  philosophical  Miss  Drew  felt 
a  little  irritation.  So  certain  was  she  of  his 
object  in  coming  that  his  tardiness  was  a  trifle 
ruffling.  He  apologized  for  being  late,  and 
succeeded  in  banishing  the  pique  that  pos 
sessed  her.  It  was  naturally  impossible  for  him 
to  share  all  his  secrets  with  her,  and  that  is 
why  he  did  not  tell  her  that  Grant  &  Ripley 
had  called  him  up  to  report  the  receipt  of  a 
telegram  from  Swearengen  Jones,  in  which  the 


78  B RE  WSTER'S  MILLIONS 

gentleman  laconically  said  he  could  feed  the 
whole  State  of  Montana  for  less  than  six  thou 
sand  dollars.  Beyond  that  there  was  no  com 
ment.  Brewster,  in  dire  trepidation,  hastened 
to  the  office  of  the  attorneys.  They  smiled 
when  he  burst  in  upon  them. 

"Good  heavens!"  he  exclaimed,  "does  the 
miserly  old  hayseed  expect  me  to  spend  a 
million  for  newspapers,  cigarettes  and  Boston 
terriers?  I  thought  he  would  be  reason 
able!" 

"He  evidently  has  seen  the  newspaper 
accounts  of  your  dinner,  and  this  is  merely  his 
comment,"  said  Mr.  Ripley. 

"It's  either  a  warning,  or  else  he's  ambigu 
ous  in  his  compliments,"  growled  Brewster, 
disgustedly. 

"I  don't  believe  he  disapproved,  Mr.  Brew 
ster.  In  the  west  the  old  gentleman  is  widely 
known  as  a  wit." 

"A  wit,  eh?  Then  he'll  appreciate  an 
answer  from  me.  Have  you  a  telegraph  blank, 
Mr.  Grant?" 

Two  minutes  later  the  following  telegram  to 
Swearengen  Jones  was  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
a  messenger-boy,  and  Brewster  was  blandly 
assuring  Messrs.  Grant  &  Ripley  that  he  did 
not  "care  a  rap  for  the  consequences": 


LOVE  AND  A   PRIZE-FIGHT  79 

NEW  YORK,  October  23,  i — 

SWEARENGEN    JONES, 

Butte,  Mont. 

No  doubt  you  could  do  it  for  less  than  six  thousand. 
Montana  is  regarded  as  the  best  grazing  country  in  the 
world,  but  we  don't  eat  that  sort  of  stuff  in  New  York. 
That's  why  it  costs  more  to  live  here. 

MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER. 

Just  before  leaving  his  apartments  for  Miss 
Drew's  home  he  received  this  response  from 
far-away  Montana: 

BUTTE,  MONTANA,  Oct.  23,  i — 
MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER, 

New  York, 

We  are  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
I  suppose  that's  why  it  costs  us  less  to  live  high. 

S.  JONES. 

"I  was  beginning  to  despair,  Monty,"  said 
Miss  Drew,  reproachfully,  when  he  had  come 
down  from  the  height  of  his  exasperation  and 
remembered  that  there  were  things  of  more 
importance. 

The  light  in  his  eyes  brought  the  faintest 
tinge  of  red  to  her  cheeks,  and  where  a  moment 
before  there  had  been  annoyance  there  was 
now  a  feeling  of  serenity.  For  a  moment 
the  silence  was  fraught  with  purpose.  Monty 
glanced  around  the  room,  uncertain  how  to 
begin.  It  was  not  so  easy  as  he  had  imagined. 


80  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

"You  are  very  good  to  see  me,"  he  said  at 
last.  "It  was  absolutely  necessary  for  me  to 
talk  to  you  this  evening;  I  could  not  have 
endured  the  suspense  any  longer.  Barbara,  I've 
spent  three  or  four  sleepless  nights  on  your 
account.  Will  it  spoil  your  evening  if  I  tell 
you  in  plain  words  what  you  already  know?  It 
won't  bother  you,  will  it?"  he  floundered. 

"What  do  you  mean,  Monty?"  she  begged, 
purposely  dense,  and  with  wonderful  control  of 
her  eyes. 

"I  love  you,  Babs,"  he  cried.  "I  thought 
you  knew  about  it  all  along  or  I  should  have 
told  you  before.  That's  why  1  haven't  slept. 
The  fear  that  you  may  not  care  for  me  has 
driven  me  nearly  to  distraction.  It  couldn't 
go  on  any  longer.  I  must  know  to-day." 

There  was  a  gleam  in  his  eyes  that  made 
her  pose  of  indifference  difficult;  the  fervor 
of  his  half-whispered  words  took  possession 
of  her.  She  had  expected  sentiment  of 
such  a  different  character  that  his  frank  con 
fession  disarmed  her  completely.  Beneath 
his  ardent,  abrupt  plea  there  was  assurance, 
the  confidence  of  one  who  is  not  to  be 
denied.  It  was  not  what  he  had  said,  but  the 
way  he  had  said  it.  A  wave  of  exultation 
swept  over  her,  tingling  through  every  nerve. 


LOVE  AND   A    PRIZE-FIGHT  81 

Under  the  spell  her  resolution  to  dally  lightly 
with  his  emotion  suffered  a  check  that  almost 
brought  ignominious  surrender.  Both'  of  her 
hands  were  clasped  in  his  when  he  exultingly 
resumed  the  charge  against  her  heart,  but  she 
was  rapidly  regaining  control  of  her  emotions 
and  he  did  not  know  that  he  was  losing  ground 
with  each  step  he  took  forward.  Barbara 
Drew  loved  Brewster,  but  she  was  going  to 
make  him  pay  dearly  for  the  brief  lapse  her 
composure  had  experienced.  When  next  she 
spoke  she  was  again  the  Miss  Drew  who  had 
been  trained  in  the  ways  of  the  world,  and  not 
the  young  girl  in  love. 

"I  care  for  you  a  great  deal,  Monty,"  she 
said,  "but  I'm  wondering  whether  I  care  enough 
to — to  marry  you." 

"We  haven't  known  each  other  very  long, 
Babs,"  he  said,  tenderly,  "but  I  think  we  know 
each  other  well  enough  to  be  beyond  wonder- 
ing." 

"It  is  like  you  to  manage  the  whole  thing," 
she  said,  chidingly.  "Can't  you  give  me  time 
to  convince  myself  that  I  love  you  as  you  would 
like,  and  as  I  must  love  if  I  expect  to  be  happy 
with  the  man  I  marry?" 

"I  forgot  myself,"  he  said,  humbly. 

"You  forgot    me,"    she    protested,    gently, 


82  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

touched  by  this  sign  of  contrition.  "I  do  care 
for  you,  Monty,  but  don't  you  see  it's  no  little 
thing  you  ask  of  me?  I  must  be  sure — very 
sure — before  I — before " 

"Don't  be  so  distressed,"  he  pleaded.  "You 
will  love  me,  I  know,  because  you  love  me  now. 
This  means  much  to  me,  but  it  means  more  to 
you.  You  are  the  woman  and  you  are  the  one 
whose  happiness  should  be  considered.  I  can 
live  only  in  the  hope  that  when  I  come  to  you 
again  with  this  same  story  and  this  same  ques 
tion  you'll  not  be  afraid  to  trust  yourself 
to  me." 

"You  deserve  to  be  happy  for  that,  Monty," 
she  said,  earnestly,  and  it  was  with  difficulty 
that  she  kept  her  eyes  from  wavering  as  they 
looked  into  his. 

"You  will  let  me  try  to  make  you  love  me?" 
he  asked,  eagerly. 

"I  may  not  be  worth  the  struggle." 

"I'll  take  that  chance,"  he  replied. 

She  was  conscious  of  disappointment  after 
he  was  gone.  He  had  not  pleaded  as  ardently 
as  she  had  expected  and  desired,  and,  try  as  she 
would,  she  could  not  banish  the  touch  of  irrita 
tion  that  had  come  to  haunt  her  for  the  night. 

Brewster  walked  to  the  club,  elated  that  he 
had  at  least  made  a  beginning.  His  position 


LO  VE  AND  A   PRIZE-FIGHT  83 

was  now  clear.  Besides  losing  a  fortune  he 
must  win  Barbara  in  open  competition. 

At  the  theater  that  evening  he  met  Harrison, 
who  was  in  a  state  of  jubilation. 

"Where  did  you  get  that  tip?"  asked  he. 

"Tip?     What  tip?"  from  Brewster. 

"On  the  prize-fight." 

Brewster's  face  fell  and  something  cold  crept 
over  him. 

"How  did — what  was  the  result?"  he  asked, 
sure  of  the  answer. 

"Haven't  you  heard?  Your  man  knocked 
him  out  in  the  fifth  round — surprised  every 
body." 


CHAPTER   X 

THE  NAPOLEON  OF  FINANCE 

The  next  two  months  were  busy  ones  for 
Brewster.  Miss  Drew  saw  him  quite  as  often 
as  before  the  important  interview,  but  he  was 
always  a  puzzle  to  her. 

"His  attitude  is  changed  somehow,"  she 
thought  to  herself,  and  then  she  remembered 
that  "a  man  who  wins  a  girl  after  an  ardent  suit 
is  often  like  one  who  runs  after  a  street  car  and 
then  sits  down  to  read  his  paper." 

In  truth  after  the  first  few  days  Monty  seemed 
to  have  forgotten  his  competitors,  and  was  rest 
ing  in  the  consciousness  of  his  assured  position. 
Each  day  he  sent  her  flowers  and  considered 
that  he  had  more  than  done  his  duty.  He  used 
no  small  part  of  his  income  on  the  flowers,  but 
in  this  case  his  mission  was  almost  forgotten 
in  his  love  for  Barbara. 

Monty's  attitude  was  not  due  to  any  waning 
of  his  affection,  but  to  the  very  unromantic 
business  in  which  he  was  engaged.  It  seemed 
to  him  that,  plan  as  he  might,  he  could  not 
devise  fresh  ways  and  means  to  earn  $16,000  a 
84 


THE  NAPOLEON  OF  FINANCE  85 

day.  He  was  still  comfortably  ahead  in  the 
race,  but  a  famine  in  opportunities  was  not  far 
remote.  Ten  big  dinner  parties  and  a  string  of 
elaborate  after-the-play  suppers  maintained  a 
fair  but  insufficient  average,  and  he  could  see 
that  the  time  was  ripe  for  radical  measures. 
He  could  not  go  on  forever  with  his  dinners. 
People  were  already  beginning  to  refer  to  the 
fact  that  he  was  warming  his  toes  on  the  Social 
Register,  and  he  had  no  desire  to  become  the 
laughing-stock  of  the  town.  The  few  slighting, 
sarcastic  remarks  about  his  business  ability, 
chiefly  by  women  and  therefore  reflected  from 
the  men,  hurt  him.  Miss  Drew's  apparently 
harmless  taunt  and  Mrs.  Dan's  open  criti 
cism  told  plainly  enough  how  the  wind  was 
blowing,  but  it  was  Peggy's  gentle  questions 
that  cut  the  deepest.  There  was  such  honest 
concern  in  her  voice  that  he  could  see  how  his 
profligacy  was  troubling  her  and  Mrs.  Gray. 
In  their  eyes,  more  than  in  the  others,  he  felt 
ashamed  and  humiliated.  Finally,  goaded  by 
the  remark  of  a  bank  director  which  he  over 
heard,  "Edwin  P.  Brewster  is  turning  hand 
springs  in  his  grave  over  the  way  he  is  going 
it,"  Monty  resolved  to  redeem  himself  in  the 
eyes  of  his  critics.  He  would  show  them  that 
his  brain  was  not  wholly  given  over  to  frivolity. 


86  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

With  this  project  in  mind  he  decided  to  cause 
a  little  excitement  in  Wall  Street.  For  some 
days  he  stealthily  watched  the  stock  market 
and  plied  his  friends  with  questions  about 
values.  Constant  reading  and  observation 
finally  convinced  him  that  Lumber  and  Fuel 
Common  was  the  one  stock  in  which  he  could 
safely  plunge.  Casting  aside  all  apprehension, 
so  far  as  Swearengen  Jones  was  concerned,  he 
prepared  for  what  was  to  be  his  one  and  only 
venture  on  the  Stock  Exchange  before  the  23d 
of  the  following  September.  With  all  the 
cunning  and  craftiness  of  a  general  he  laid  his 
plans  for  the  attack.  Gardner's  face  was  the 
picture  of  despair  when  Brewster  asked  him  to 
buy  heavily  in  Lumber  and  Fuel. 

"Good  heavens,  Monty,"  cried  the  broker, 
"you're  joking.  Lumber  is  away  up  now.  It 
can't  possibly  go  a  fraction  of  a  point  higher. 
Take  my  advice  and  don't  touch  it.  It  opened 
to-day  at  Hl^  and  closed  at  109.  Why,  man, 
you're  crazy  to  think  about  it  for  an  instant." 

"I  know  my  business,  Gardner,"  said  Brew 
ster,  quietly,  and  his  conscience  smote  him 
when  he  saw  the  flush  of  mortification  creep 
into  the  face  of  his  friend.  The  rebuke  had 
cut  Gardner  to  the  quick. 

"But,    Monty,    I    know    what    I'm    talking 


THE  NAPOLEON  OF  FINANCE  87 

about.  At  least  let  me  tell  you  something 
about  this  stock,"  pleaded  Elon,  loyally, 
despite  the  wound. 

"Gardy,  I've  gone  into  this  thing  carefully, 
and  if  ever  a  man  felt  sure  about  anything  I  do 
about  this,"  said  Monty,  decidedly  but  affec 
tionately. 

"Take  my  word  for  it  Lumber  can't  go  any 
higher.  Think  of  the  situation;  the  lumber 
men  in  the  north  and  west  are  overstocked, 
and  there  is  a  strike  ready  to  go  into  effect. 
When  that  comes  the  stock  will  go  for  a  song. 
The  slump  is  liable  to  begin  any  day." 

"My  mind  is  made  up,"  said  the  other  firmly, 
and  Gardner  was  in  despair.  "Will  you  or  will 
you  not  execute  an  order  for  me  at  the  opening 
to-morrow?  I'll  start  with  ten  thousand  shares. 
What  will  it  cost  me  to  margin  it  for  ten 
points?" 

"At  least  a  hundred  thousand,  exclusive  of 
commission,  which  would  be  twelve  and  a  half 
a  hundred  shares."  Despite  the  most  strenu 
ous  opposition  from  Gardner,  Brewster  adhered 
to  his  design,  and  the  broker  executed  the 
order  the  next  morning.  He  knew  that  Brew 
ster  had  but  one  chance  to  win,  and  that  was 
to  buy  the  stock  in  a  lump  instead  of  distribu 
ting  it  among  several  brokers  and  throughout 


88  £REIVSTER'S  MILLIONS 

the  session.  This  was  a  point  that  Monty  had 
overlooked. 

There  had  been  little  to  excite  the  Stock 
Exchange  for  some  weeks;  nothing  was  active 
and  the  slightest  flurry  was  hailed  as  an 
event.  Everyone  knew  that  the  calm  would  be 
disturbed  at  some  near  day,  but  nobody  looked 
for  a  sensation  in  Lumber  and  Fuel.  It  was  a 
foregone  conclusion  that  a  slump  was  coming, 
and  there  was  scarcely  any  trading  in  the 
stock.  When  Elon  Gardner,  acting  for  Mont 
gomery  Brewster  took  ten  thousand  shares  at 
108^4  there  was  a  mighty  gasp  on  the  Exchange, 
then  a  rubbing  of  eyes,  then  commotion. 
Astonishment  was  followed  by  nervousness, 
and  then  came  the  struggle. 

Brewster,  confident  that  the  stock  could  go 
no  higher,  and  that  sooner  or  later  it  must 
drop,  calmly  ordered  his  horse  for  a  ride  in  the 
snow-covered  park.  Even  though  he  knew  the 
venture  was  to  be  a  failure  in  the  ordinary 
sense  he  found  joy  in  the  knowledge  that  he 
was  doing  something.  He  might  be  a  fool, 
he  was  at  least  no  longer  inactive.  The  feel 
of  the  air  was  good  to  him.  He  was  exhila 
rated  by  the  glitter  of  the  snow,  the  answer 
ing  excitement  of  his  horse,  the  gaiety  and 
sparkle  of  life  about  him. 


THE  NAPOLEON  OF  FINANCE  89 

Somewhere  far  back  in  his  inner  self  there 
seemed  to  be  the  sound  of  cheering  and  the 
clapping  of  hands.  Shortly  before  noon  he 
reached  his  club,  where  he  was  to  lunch  with 
Colonel  Drew.  In  the  reading-room  he 
observed  that  men  were  looking  at  him  in  a 
manner  less  casual  than  was  customary.  Some 
of  them  went  so  far  as  to  smile  encouragingly, 
and  others  waved  their  hands  in  the  most  cor 
dial  fashion.  Three  or  four  very  young  members 
looked  upon  him  with  admiration  and  envy 
and  even  the  porters  seemed  more  obsequious. 
There  was  something  strangely  oppressive  in 
all  this  show  of  deference. 

Colonel  Drew's  dignity  relaxed  amazingly 
when  he  caught  sight  of  the  young  man.  He 
came  forward  to  meet  him  and  his  greeting 
almost  carried  Monty  off  his  feet. 

"How  did  you  do  it,  my  boy?"  cried  the 
Colonel.  "She's  off  a  point  or  two  now,  I 
believe,  but  half  an  hour  ago  she  was  booming. 
Gad,  I  never  heard  of  anything  more  spec 
tacular!" 

Monty's  heart  was  in  his  mouth  as  he  rushed 
over  to  the  ticker.  It  did  not  take  him  long  to 
grasp  the  immensity  of  the  disaster.  Gardner 
had  bought  in  at  108^,  and  that  very  action 
seemed  to  put  new  life  into  the  stock.  Just  as 


90  SREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

it  was  on  the  point  of  breaking  for  lack  of 
support  along  came  this  sensational  order  for 
ten  thousand  shares;  and  there  could  be  but 
one  result.  At  one  time  in  the  morning 
Lumber  and  Fuel,  traded  in  by  excited  holders, 
touched  113^2  and  seemed  in  a  fair  way  to  hold 
firm  around  that  figure. 

Other  men  came  up  and  listened  eagerly. 
Brewster  realized  that  his  dash  in  Lumber  and 
Fuel  had  been  a  master-stroke  of  cleverness 
when  considered  from  the  point  of  view  of 
these  men,  but  a  catastrophe  from  his  own. 

"I  hope  you  sold  it  when  it  was  at  the  top," 
said  the  Colonel  anxiously. 

"I  instructed  Gardner  to  sell  only  when  I 
gave  the  word,"  said  Monty,  lamely.  Several 
of  the  men  looked  at  him  in  surprise  and 
disgust. 

"Well,  if  I  were  you  I'd  tell  him  to  sell," 
remarked  the  Colonel,  coldly. 

"The  effect  of  your  plunge  has  worn  off, 
Brewster,  and  the  other  side  will  drive  the 
prices  down.  They  won't  be  caught  napping 
again,  either,"  said  one  of  the  bystanders 
earnestly. 

"Do  you  think  so?"  And  there  was  a  note 
of  relief  in  Monty's  voice. 

From  all   sides  came  the  advice  to  sell  at 


THE  NAPOLEON  OF  FINANCE  91 

once,  but  Brewster  was  not  to  be  pushed.  He 
calmly  lighted  a  cigarette,  and  with  an  assured 
air  of  wisdom  told  them  to  wait  a  little  while 
and  see. 

"She's  already  falling  off,"  said  some  one  at 
the  ticker. 

When  Brewster's  bewildered  eyes  raced  over 
the  figures  the  stock  was  quoted  at  H2.  His 
sigh  of  relief  was  heard  but  misunderstood. 
He  might  be  saved  after  all.  The  stock -had 
started  to  go  down  and  there  seemed  no 
reason  why  it  should  stop.  As  he  intended  to 
purchase  no  more  it  was  fair  to  assume  that 
the  backbone  was  at  the  breaking  point.  The 
crash  was  bound  to  come.  He  could  hardly 
restrain  a  cry  of  joy.  Even  while  he  stood  at 
the  ticker  the  little  instrument  began  to  tell  of 
a  further  decline.  As  the  price  went  down  his 
hopes  went  up. 

The  bystanders  were  beginning  to  be  dis 
gusted.  "It  was  only  a  fluke  after  all,"  they 
said  to  each  other.  Colonel  Drew  was  appealed 
to  to  urge  Monty  to  save  himself,  and  he  was  on 
the  point  of  remonstrance  when  the  message 
came  that  the  threatened  strike  was  off,  and 
that  the  men  were  willing  to  arbitrate.  Almost 
before  one  could  draw  breath  this  startling  news 
began  to  make  itself  felt.  The  certainty  of  a 


92  BREWSTER  S  MILLIONS 

great  strike  was  one  of  the  things  that  had 
made  Brewster  sure  that  the  price  could  not 
hold.  With  this  danger  removed  there  was 
nothing  to  jeopardize  the  earning  power  of  the 
stock.  The  next  quotation  was  a  point  higher. 

"You  sly  dog,"  said  the  Colonel,  digging 
Monty  in  the  side.  "I  had  confidence  in  you 
all  the  time." 

In  ten  minutes'  time  Lumber  and  Fuel  was 
again  up  to  113  and  soaring.  Brewster,  panic- 
stricken,  rushed  to  the  telephone  and  called 
up  Gardner. 

The  broker,  hoarse  with  excitement,  was 
delighted  when  he  recognized  Brewster's  voice. 

"You're  a  wonder,  Monty!  I'll  see  you 
after  the  close.  How  the  devil  did  you  do  it?" 
shouted  Gardner. 

"What's  the  price  now?"  asked  Brewster. 

"One  thirteen  and  three-fourths,  and  going 
up  all  the  time.  Hooray!" 

"Do  you  think  she'll  go  down  again?" 
demanded  Brewster. 

"Not  if  I  can  help  it. 

"Very  well  then,  go  and  sell  out,"  roared 
Brewster. 

"But  she's  going  up  like " 

"Sell,  damn  you!     Didn't  you  hear?" 

Gardner,  dazed  and  weak,  began  selling,  and 


THE  NAPOLEON  OF  FINANCE  93 

finally  liquidated  the  full  line  at  prices  ranging 
from  114  to  112^,  but  Montgomery  Brewster 
had  cleared  $58,550,  and  all  because  it  was  he 
and  not  the  market  that  got  excited. 


CHAPTER  XI 

COALS    OF  FIRE 

It  was  not  that  he  had  realized  heavily  in  his 
investments  which  caused  his  friends  and  his 
enemies  to  regard  him  in  a  new  light;  his  profit 
had  been  quite  small,  as  things  go  on  the 
Exchange  in  these  days.  The  mere  fact  that 
he  had  shown  such  foresight  proved  sufficient 
cause  for  the  reversal  of  opinion.  Men  looked 
at  him  with  new  interest  in  their  eyes,  with 
fresh  confidence.  His  unfortunate  operations 
in  the  stock  market  had  restored  him  to  favor 
in  all  circles.  The  man,  young  or  old,  who 
could  do  what  he  had  done  with  Lumber  and 
Fuel  well  deserved  the  new  promises  that  were 
being  made  for  him. 

Brevvster  bobbed  uncertainly  between  two 
emotions  —  elation  and  distress.  He  had 
achieved  two  kinds  of  success — the  desired  and 
the  undesired.  It  was  but  natural  that  he 
should  feel  proud  of  the  distinction  the  venture 
had  brought  to  him  on  one  hand,  but  there 
was  reason  for  despair  over  the  acquisition 
of  $50,000.  It  made  it  necessary  for  him  to 
undertake  an  almost  superhuman  feat — increase 

94 


COALS  OF  FIRE  95 

the  number  of  his  January  bills.  The  plans  for 
the  ensuing  spring  and  summer  were  dimly 
getting  into  shape  and  they  covered  many 
startling  projects.  Since  confiding  some  of 
them  to  "Nopper"  Harrison,  that  gentleman 
had  worn  a  never-decreasing  look  of  worry  and 
anxiety  in  his  eyes. 

Rawles  added  to  his  despair  a  day  or  two 
after  the  Stock  Exchange  misfortune.  He 
brought  up  the  information  that  six  splendid 
little  puppies  had  come  to  bless  his  Boston 
terrier  family,  and  Joe  Bragdon,  who  was 
present,  enthusiastically  predicted  that  he 
could  get  $100  apiece  for  them.  Brewster 
loved  dogs,  yet  for  one  single  horrible  moment 
he  longed  to  massacre  the  helpless  little 
creatures.  But  the  old  affection  came  back  to 
him,  and  he  hurried  out  with  Bragdon  to 
inspect  the  brood. 

"And  I've  either  got  to  sell  them  or  kill 
them,"  he  groaned.  Later  on  he  instructed 
Bragdon  to  sell  the  pups  for  $25  apiece,  and 
went  away,  ashamed  to  look  their  proud  mother 
in  the  face. 

Fortune  smiled  on  him  before  the  day  was 
over,  however.  He  took  "Subway"  Smith  for 
a  ride  in  the  "Green  Juggernaut,"  bad  weather 
and  bad  roads  notwithstanding.  Monty  lost 


96  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

control  of  the  machine  and  headed  for  a 
subway  excavation.  He  and  Smith  saved 
themselves  by  leaping  to  the  pavement,  sus 
taining  slight  bruises,  but  the  great  machine 
crashed  through  the  barricade  and  dropped  to 
the  bottom  of  the  trench  far  below.  To 
Smith's  grief  and  Brewster's  delight  the  auto 
mobile  was  hopelessly  ruined,  a  clear  loss  of 
many  thousands.  Monty's  joy  was  short-lived, 
for  it  was  soon  learned  that  three  luckless 
workmen  down  in  the  depths  had  been  badly 
injured  by  the  green  meteor  from  above.  The 
mere  fact  that  Brewster  could  and  did  pay 
liberally  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  fellows 
afforded  him  little  consolation.  His  careless 
ness,  and  possibly  his  indifference,  had  brought 
suffering  to  these  men  and  their  families  which 
was  not  pleasant  to  look  back  upon.  Lawsuits 
were  avoided  by  compromises.  Each  of  the 
injured  men  received  $4,000. 

At  this  time  everyone  was  interested  in  the 
charity  bazaar  at  the  Astoria.  Society  was  on 
exhibition,  and  the  public  paid  for  the  privilege 
of  gazing  at  the  men  and  women  whose  names 
filled  the  society  columns.  Brewster  fre 
quented  the  booth  presided  over  by  Miss 
Drew,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  end  to  his 
philanthropy.  The  bazaar  lasted  two  days  and 


COALS  OF  FIRE  97 

nights,  and  after  that  period  his  account-book 
showed  an  even  "profit"  of  nearly  $3,000. 
Monty's  serenity,  however,  was  considerably 
ruffled  by  the  appearance  of  a  new  and  aggres 
sive  claimant  for  the  smiles  of  the  fair  Barbara. 
He  was  a  Californian  of  immense  wealth  and 
unbounded  confidence  in  himself,  and  letters 
to  people  in  New  York  had  given  him  a  certain 
entree.  The  triumphs  in  love  and  finance  that 
had  come  with  his  two  score  years  and  ten 
had  demolished  every  vestige  of  timidity  that 
may  have  been  born  with  him.  He  was  suc 
cessful  enough  in  the  world  of  finance  to  have 
become  four  or  five  times  a  millionaire,  and  he 
had  fared  so  well  in  love  that  twice  he  had  been 
a  widower.  Rodney  Grimes  was  starting  out  to 
win  Barbara  with  the  same  dash  and  impulsive 
ness  that  overcame  Mary  Farrell,  the  cook  in 
the  mining-camp,  and  Jane  Boothroyd,  the 
school-teacher,  who  came  to  California  ready 
to  marry  the  first  man  who  asked  her.  He  was  a 
penniless  prospector  when  he  married  Mary,  and 
when  he  led  Jane  to  the  altar  she  rejoiced  in  hav 
ing  captured  a  husband  worth  at  least  $50,000. 
He  vied  with  Brewster  in  patronizing  Bar 
bara's  booth,  and  he  rushed  into  the  conflict 
with  an  impetuousity  that  seemed  destined  to 
carry  everything  before  it.  Monty  was  brushed 


98  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

aside,  Barbara  was  preempted  as  if  she  were  a 
mining  claim  and  ten  days  after  his  arrival  in 
New  York,  Grimes  was  the  most  talked-of  man 
in  town.  Brewster  was  not  the  sort  to  be 
dispatched  without  a  struggle,  however.  Rec 
ognizing  Grimes  as  an  obstacle,  but  not  as  a 
rival,  he  once  more  donned  his  armor  and  beset 
Barbara  with  all  the  zest  of  a  champion  who 
seeks  to  protect  and  not  to  conquer.  He 
regarded  the  Californian  as  an  impostor  and 
summary  action  was  necessary.  "I  know  all 
about  him,  Babs,"  he  said  one  day  after  he 
felt  sure  of  his  position.  "Why,  his  father 
was  honored  by  the  V.  C.,  on  the  coast  in  '49." 

"The  Victoria  Cross?"  asked  Barbara  inno 
cently. 

"No,  the  vigilance  committee." 

In  this  way  Monty  routed  the  enemy  and 
cleared  the  field  before  the  end  of  another 
week.  Grimes  transferred  his  objectionable 
affection  and  Barbara  was  not  even  asked  to  be 
wife  number  three.  Brewster' s  campaign  was 
so  ardent  that  he  neglected  other  duties  de 
plorably,  falling  far  behind  his  improvident 
average.  With  Grimes  disposed  of,  he  once 
more  forsook  the  battlefield  of  love  and  gave 
his  harassed  and  undivided  attention  to  his  own 
peculiar  business. 


COALS  OF  FIRE  99 

The  fast-and-loose  game  displeased  Miss 
Barbara  greatly.  She  was  at  first  surprised, 
then  piqued,  then  resentful.  Monty  gradually 
awoke  to  the  distressing  fact  that  she  was  go 
ing  to  be  intractable,  as  he  put  it,  and  forth 
with  undertook  to  smooth  the  troubled  sea. 
To  his  amazement  and  concern  she  was  not  to 
be  appeased. 

"Does  it  occur  to  you,  Monty,"  she  said, 
with  a  gentle  coldness  that  was  infinitely  worse 
than  heat,  "that  you  have  been  carrying  things 
with  a  pretty  high  hand?  Where  did  you 
acquire  the  right  to  interfere  with  my  privi 
leges?  You  seem  to  think  that  I  am  not  to 
speak  to  any  man  but  you." 

"O,  come  now,  Babs,"  retorted  Monty,  "I've 
not  been  quite  as  unreasonable  as  that.  And 
you  know  yourself  that  Grimes  is  the  worst 
kind  of  a  bounder." 

"I  know  nothing  of  the  sort,"  replied  the 
lady,  with  growing  irritation.  "You  say  that 
about  every  man  who  gives  me  a  smile  or  a 
flower.  Does  it  indicate  such  atrocious  taste?" 

"Don't  be  silly  Barbara.  You  know  per 
fectly  well  that  you  have  talked  to  Gardner 
and  that  idiot  Valentine  by  the  hour,  and  I've 
not  said  a  word.  But  there  are  some  things  I 
can't  stand,  and  the  impertinence  of  Grimes  is 


100  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

one  of  them.  Jove!  he  looked  at  you,  out  of 
those  fishy  eyes,  sometimes  as  though  he  owned 
you.  If  you  knew  how  many  times  I've  fairly 
ached  to  knock  him  down!" 

Inwardly  Barbara  was  weakening  a  little 
before  his  masterfulness.  But  she  gave  no 
sign. 

"And  it  never  occurred  to  you,"  she  said, 
with  that  exasperating  coldness  of  the  voice, 
"that  I  was  equal  to  the  situation.  I  suppose 
you  thought  Mr.  Grimes  had  only  to  beckon 
and  I  would  joyfully  answer.  I'll  have  you 
know,  Monty  Brewster,  right  now,  that  I  am 
quite  able  to  choose  my  friends,  and  to  handle 
them.  Mr.  Grimes  has  character  and  I  like 
him.  He  has  seen  more  of  life  in  a  year  of 
his  strenuous  career  than  you  ever  dreamed  of 
in  all  your  pampered  existence.  His  life  has 
been  real,  Monty  Brewster,  and  yours  is  only 
an  imitation." 

It  struck  him  hard,  but  it  left  him  gentle. 

"Babs,"  he  said,  softly,  "I  can't  take  that 
from  you.  You  don't  really  mean  it,  do  you? 
Am  I  as  bad  as  that?" 

It  was  a  moment  for  dominance,  and  he 
missed  it.  His  gentleness  left  her  cold. 

"Monty"  she  exclaimed  irritably,  "you 
are  terribly  exasperating.  Do  make  up  your 


COALS  OF  FIRE  101 

mind  that  you  and  your  million  are  not  the 
only  things  in  the  world." 

His  blood  was  up  now,  but  it  flung  him 
away  from  her. 

"Some  day,  perhaps,  you'll  find  out  that 
there  is  not  much  besides.  I  am  just  a  little 
too  big,  for  one  thing,  to  be  played  with  and 
thrown  aside.  I  won't  stand  it." 

He  left  the  house  with  his  head  high  in  the 
air,  angry  red  in  his  cheeks,  and  a  feeling  in 
his  heart  that  she  was  the  most  unreasonable 
of  women.  Barbara,  in  the  meantime,  cried 
herself  to  sleep,  vowing  she  would  never  love 
Monty  Brewster  again  as  long  as  she  lived. 

A  sharp  cutting  wind  was  blowing  in  Monty's 
face  as  he  left  the  house.  He  was  thoroughly 
wretched. 

"Throw  up  your  hands!"  came  hoarsely  from 
somewhere,  and  there  was  no  tenderness  in  the 
tones.  For  an  instant  Monty  was  dazed  and 
bewildered,  but  in  the  next  he  saw  two  shadowy 
figures  walking  beside  him.  "Stop  where  you 
are,  young  fellow,"  was  the  next  command, 
and  he  stopped  short.  He  was  in  a  mood  to 
fight,  but  the  sight  of  a  revolver  made  him 
think  again.  Monty  was  not  a  coward,  neither 
was  he  a  fool.  He  was  quick  to  see  that  a 
struggle  would  be  madness. 


102  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"What  do  you  want?"  he  demanded  as 
coolly  as  his  nerves  would  permit. 

"Put  up  your  hands  quick!"  and  he  hastily 
obeyed  the  injunction. 

"Not  a  sound  out  of  you  or  you  get  it  good 
and  proper.  You  know  what  we  want.  Get  to 
work,  Bill;  I'll  watch  his  hands." 

"Help  yourselves,  boys.  I'm  not  fool 
enough  to  scrap  about  it.  Don't  hit  me  or 
shoot,  that's  all.  Be  quick  about  it,  because 
I'll  take  cold  if  my  overcoat  is  open  long. 
How's  business  been  to-night?"  Brewster  was 
to  all  intents  and  purposes  the  calmest  man  in 
New  York. 

"Fierce!"  said  the  one  who  was  doing  the 
searching.  "You're  the  first  guy  we've  seen 
in  a  week  that  looks  good." 

"I  hope  you  won't  be  disappointed,"  said 
Monty  genially.  "If  I'd  expected  this  I  might 
have  brought  more  money." 

"I  guess  we'll  be  satisfied,"  chuckled  the 
man  with  the  revolver.  "You're  awful  nice 
and  kind,  mister,  and  maybe  you  wouldn't  object 
to  tellin'  us  when  you'll  be  up  dis  way  ag'in." 

"It's  a  pleasure  to  do  business  with  you, 
pardner,"  said  the  other,  dropping  Monty's 
$300  watch  in  his  pocket.  "We'll  leave  car-fare 
for  you  for  your  honesty."  His  hands  were 


COALS  OF  FIRE  103 

running  through  Brewster's  pockets  with  the 
quickness  of  a  machine.  "You  don't  go  much 
on  jewelry,  I  guess.  Are  dese  shoit  buttons 
de  real  t'ing?" 

"They're  pearls,"  said  Monty,  cheerfully. 

"My  favorite  jool,"  said  the  man  with  the 
revolver.  "Clip  'em  out,  Bill." 

"Don't  cut  the  shirt,"  urged  Monty.  "I'm 
going  to  a  little  supper  and  I  don't  like  the 
idea  of  a  punctured  shirt-front." 

"I'll  be  careful  as  I  kin,  mister.  There,  I 
guess  dat's  all.  Shall  I  call  a  cab  for  you,  sir?" 

"No,  thank  you,  I  think  I'll  walk." 

"Well,  just  walk  south  a  hundred  steps  with 
out  lookin'  'round  er  yellin'  and  you  kin  save 
your  skin.  I  guess  you  know  what  I  mean, 
pardner. " 

"I'm  sure  I  do.     Good-night." 

"Good-night,"  came  in  chuckles  from  the 
two  hold-up  men.  But  Brewster  hesitated,  a 
sharp  thought  penetrating  his  mind. 

"By  gad!"  he  exclaimed,  "you  chaps  are 
very  careless.  Do  you  know  you've  missed  a 
roll  of  three  hundred  dollars  in  this  overcoat 
pocket?"  The  men  gasped  and  the  spasmodic 
oaths  that  came  from  them  were  born  of 
incredulity.  It  was  plain  that  they  doubted 
their  ears. 


104  BREIVSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"Say  it  ag'in,"  muttered  Bill,  in  bewildered 
tones. 

"He's  stringin'  us,  Bill,"  said  the  other. 

"Sure,"  growled  Bill.  "It's  a  nice  way  to 
treat  us,  mister.  Move  along  now  and  don't 
turn  'round." 

"Well,  you're  a  couple  of  nice  highwaymen," 
cried  Monty  in  disgust. 

"Sh—  not  so  loud." 

"That  is  no  way  to  attend  to  business.  Do 
you  expect  me  to  go  down  into  my  pocket  and 
hand  you  the  goods  on  a  silver  tray?" 

"Keep  your  hands  up!  You  don't  woik  dat 
game  on  me.  You  got  a  gun  there." 

"No,  I  haven't.  This  is  on  the  level.  You 
overlooked  a  roll  of  bills  in  your  haste  and  I'm 
not  the  sort  of  fellow  to  see  an  earnest  endeav- 
orer  get  the  worst  of  it  My  hands  are  up. 
See  for  yourself  if  I'm  not  telling  you  the 
truth." 

"What  kind  of  game  is  dis?"  growled  Bill, 
dazed  and  bewildered.  "I'm  blowed  if  I  know 
w'at  to  t'ink  o'  you,"  cried  he  in  honest 
amazement.  "You  don't  act  drunk,  and  you 
ain't  crazy,  but  there's  somethin'  wrong  wid 
you.  Are  you  givin'  it  to  us  straight  about  de 
wad?" 

"You  can  find  out  easily." 


COALS  OF  FIRE  105 

"Well,  I  hate  to  do  it,  boss,  but  I  guess  we'll 
just  take  de  overcoat  and  all.  It  looks  like  a 
trick  and  we  takes  no  chances.  Off  wid  de 
coat" 

Monty's  coat  came  off  in  a  jiffy  and  he  stood 
shivering  before  the  dumbfounded  robbers. 

"We'll  leave  de  coat  at  de  next  corner, 
pardner.  It's  cold  and  you  need  it  more'n  we 
do.  You're  de  limit,  you  are.  So  long.  Walk 
right  straight  ahead  and  don't  yell." 

Brewster  found  his  coat  a  few  minutes  later, 
and  went  whistling  away  into  the  night.  The 
roll  of  bills  was  gone. 


CHAPTER  XII 

CHRISTMAS  DESPAIR 

Brewster  made  a  good  story  of  the  "hold 
up"  at  the  club,  but  he  did  not  relate  all  the 
details.  One  of  the  listeners  was  a  new  public 
commissioner  who  was  aggressive  in  his  efforts 
at  reform.  Accordingly,  Brewster  was  sum 
moned  to  headquarters  the  next  morning  for 
the  purpose  of  looking  over  the  "suspects" 
that  had  been  brought  in.  Almost  the  first 
man  that  he  espied  was  a  rough-looking  fellow 
whose  identity  could  not  be  mistaken.  It  was 
Bill. 

"Hello,  Bill,"  called  Monty,  gaily.  Bill 
ground  his  teeth  for  a  second,  but  his  eyes  had 
such  an  appeal  in  them  that  Monty  relented. 

"You  know  this  fellow,  Mr.  Brewster?" 
demanded  the  captain,  quickly.  Bill  looked 
utterly  helpless. 

"Know  Bill?"  questioned  Monty  in  surprise. 
"Of  course  I  do,  Captain." 

"He  was  picked  up  late  last  night  and 
detained,  because  he  would  give  no  account  of 
his  actions." 


CHRISTMAS  DESPAIR  107 

"Was  it  as  bad  as  that,  Bill?"  asked  Brew- 
ster,  with  a  smile.  Bill  mumbled  something 
and  assumed  a  look  of  defiance.  Monty's 
attitude  puzzled  him  sorely.  He  hardly 
breathed  for  an  instant,  and  gulped  percep 
tibly. 

"Pass  Bill,  Captain.  He  was  with  me  last 
night  just  before  my  money  was  taken,  and  he 
couldn't  possibly  have  robbed  me  without  my 
knowledge.  Wait  for  me  outside,  Bill.  I  want 
to  talk  to  you.  I'm  quite  sure  neither  of  the 
thieves  is  here,  Captain,"  concluded  Brewster, 
after  Bill  had  obeyed  the  order  to  step  out  of 
the  line. 

Outside  the  door  the  puzzled  crook  met 
Brewster,  who  shook  him  warmly  by  the  hand. 

"You're  a  peach,"  whispered  Bill,  gratefully. 
"What  did  you  do  it  for,  mister?" 

"Because  you  were  kind  enough  not  to  cut 
my  shirt." 

"Say,  you're  all  right,  that's  what.  Would 
you  mind  havin'  a  drink  with  me?  It's  your 
money,  but  the  drink  won't  be  any  the  worse 
for  that.  We  blowed  most  of  it  already,  but 
here's  what's  left."  Bill  handed  Monty  a  roll 
of  bills. 

"I'd  a  kept  it  if  you'd  made  a  fight,"  he  con 
tinued,  "but  it  ain't  square  to  keep  it  now." 


108  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

Brewster  refused  the  money,  but  took  back 
his  watch. 

"Keep  it,  Bill,"  he  said,  "you  need  it  more 
than  I  do.  It's  enough  to  set  you  up  in  some 
other  trade.  Why  not  try  it?" 

"I  will  try,  boss,"  and  Bill  was  so  profuse 
in  his  thanks  that  Monty  had  difficulty  in  get 
ting  away.  As  he  climbed  into  a  cab  he  heard 
Bill  say,  "I  will  try,  boss,  and  say,  if  ever  I 
can  do  anything  for  you,  jes'  put  me  nex'. 
I'm  nex'  you  all  de  time." 

He  gave  the  driver  the  name  of  his  club,  but 
as  he  was  passing  the  Waldorf  he  remembered 
that  he  had  several  things  to  say  to  Mrs.  Dan. 
The  order  was  changed,  and  a  few  moments 
later  he  was  received  in  Mrs.  Dan's  very  spe 
cial  den.  She  wore  something  soft  and  grace 
ful  in  lavender,  something  that  was  light  and 
wavy  and  evanescent,  and  made  you  watch  its 
changing  shadows.  Monty  looked  down  at 
her  with  the  feeling  that  she  made  a  very 
effective  picture. 

"You  are  looking  pretty  fit  this  morning, 
my  lady,"  he  said  by  way  of  preamble.  "How 
well  everything  plays  up  to  you." 

"And  you  are  unusually  courtly,  Monty," 
she  smiled.  "Has  the  world  treated  you  so 
generously  of  late?" 


CHRISTMAS  DESPAIR  109 

"It  is  treating  me  generously  enough  just 
now  to  make  up  for  anything,"  and  he 
looked  at  her.  "Do  you  know,  Mrs.  Dan,  that 
it  is  borne  in  upon  me  now  and  then  that  there 
are  things  that  are  quite  worth  while?" 

"Oh,  if  you  come  to  that,"  she  answered, 
lightly,  "everything  is  worth  while.  For  you, 
Monty,  life  is  certainly  not  slow.  You  can 
dominate;  you  can  make  things  go  your  way. 
Aren't  they  going  your  way  now,  Monty" — 
this  more  seriously — "What's  wrong?  Is  the 
pace  too  fast?" 

His  mood  increased  upon  him  with  her  sym 
pathy.  "Oh,  no,"  he  said,  "it  isn't  that.  You 
are  good — and  I'm  a  selfish  beast.  Things  are 
perverse  and  people  are  desperately  obstinate 
sometimes.  And  here  I'm  taking  it  out  on 
you.  You  are  not  perverse.  You  are  not 
obstinate.  You  are  a  ripper,  Mrs.  Dan,  and 
you  are  going  to  help  me  out  in  more  ways  than 
one." 

"Well,  to  pay  for  all  these  gallantries, 
Monty,  I  ought  to  do  much.  I'm  your  friend 
through  thick  and  thin.  You  have  only  to 
command  me." 

"It  was  precisely  to  get  your  help  that  I 
came  in.  I'm  tired  of  those  confounded  din 
ners.  You  know  yourself  that  they  are  all 


110  BRE.WSTER'S  MILLIONS 

alike — the  same  people,  the  same  flowers,  the 
same  things  to  eat,  and  the  same  inane  twaddle 
in  the  shape  of  talk.  Who  cares  about  them 
anyway?" 

"Well,  I  like  that,"  she  interrupted.  "After 
all  the  thought  I  put  into  those  dinners,  after 
all  the  variety  I  so  carefully  secured!  My  dear 
boy,  you  are  frightfully  ungrateful." 

"Oh,  you  know  what  I  mean  And  you 
know  quite  as  well  as  I  do  that  it  is  perfectly 
true.  The  dinners  were  a  beastly  bore,  which 
proves  that  they  were  a  loud  success.  Your 
work  was  not  done  in  vain.  But  now  I  want 
something  else.  We  must  push  along  this 
ball  we've  been  talking  of.  And  the  yacht 
ing  cruise — that  can't  wait  very  much  longer." 

"The  ball  first,"  she  decreed.  "I'll  see  to 
the  cards  at  once,  and  in  a  day  or  two  I'll  have 
a  list  ready  for  your  gracious  approval.  And 
what  have  you  done?" 

"Pettingill  has  some  great  ideas  for  doing 
over  Sherry's.  Harrison  is  in  communication 
with  the  manager  of  that  Hungarian  orchestra 
you  spoke  of,  and  he  finds  the  men  quite  ready 
for  a  little  jaunt  across  the  water.  We  have 
that  military  band— I've  forgotten  the  number 
of  its  regiment — for  the  promenade  music,  and 
the  new  Paris  sensation,  the  contralto,  is  com- 


CHRISTMAS  DESPAIR  ill 

ing  over  with  her  primo  tenore  for  some  special 
numbers." 

"You  were  certainly  cut  out  for  an  executive, 
Monty,"  said  Mrs.  Dan.  "But  with  the  music 
and  the  decorations  arranged,  you've  only 
begun.  The  favors  are  the  real  thing,  and  if  you 
say  the  word,  we'll  surprise  them  a  little. 
Don't  worry  about  it,  Monty.  It's  a  go  already. 
We'll  pull  it  off  together. " 

"You  are  a  thoroughbred,  Mrs  Dap,"  he 
exclaimed.  "You  do  help  a  fellow  at  a  pinch." 

"That's  all  right,  Monty,"  she  answered; 
"give  me  until  after  Christmas  and  I'll  have 
the  finest  favors  ever  seen.  Other  people  may 
have  their  paper  hats  and  pink  ribbons  but  you 
can  show  them  how  the  thing  ought  to  be  done. 

Her  reference  to  Christmas  haunted  Brew- 
ster,  as  he  drove  down  Fifth  Avenue,  with  the 
dread  of  a  new  disaster.  Never  before  had  he 
looked  upon  presents  as  a  calamity;  but  this 
year  it  was  different.  Immediately  he  began 
to  plan  a  bombardment  of  his  friends  with 
costly  trinkets,  when  he  grew  suddenly  doubt 
ful  of  the  opinion  of  his  uncle's  executor  upon 
this  move.  But  in  response  to  a  telegram, 
Swearengen  Jones,  with  pleasing  irascibility, 
informed  him  that  "anyone  with  a  drop  of 
human  kindness  in  his  body  would  consider 


]  12  BRE  WSTER'S  MILLIONS 

it  his  duty  to  give  Christmas  presents  to  those 
who  deserved  them."  Monty's  way  was  now 
clear.  If  his  friends  meant  to  handicap  him 
with  gifts,  he  knew  a  way  to  get  even.  For 
two  weeks  his  mornings  were  spent  at  Tiffany's, 
and  the  afternoons  brought  joy  to  the  heart 
of  every  dealer  in  antiquities  in  Fourth  and 
Fifth  Avenues.  He  gave  much  thought  to 
the  matter  in  the  effort  to  secure  many  small 
articles  which  elaborately  concealed  their 
value.  And  he  had  taste.  The  result  of  his 
endeavor  was  that  many  friends  who  would 
not  have  thought  of  remembering  Monty  with 
even  a  card  were  pleasantly  surprised  on 
Christmas  Eve. 

As  it  turned  out,  he  fared  very  well  in  the 
matter  of  gifts,  and  for  some  days  much  of  his 
time  was  spent  in  reading  notes  of  profuse 
thanks,  which  were  yet  vaguely  apologetic. 
The  Grays  and  Mrs.  Dan  had  remembered  him 
with  an  agreeable  lack  of  ostentation,  and 
some  of  the  "Little  Sons  of  the  Rich,"  who 
had  kept  one  evening  a  fortnight  open  for  the 
purpose  of  "using  up  their  meal-tickets"  at 
Monty's,  were  only  too  generously  grateful. 
Miss  Drew  had  forgotten  him,  and  when  they 
met  after  the  holiday  her  recognition  was  of 
the  coldest.  He  had  thought  that,  under  the 


CHRISTMAS  DESPAIR  113 

circumstances,  he  could  send  her  a  gift  of 
value,  but  the  beautiful  pearls  with  which  he 
asked  for  a  reconciliation  were  returned  with 
"Miss  Drew's  thanks."  He  loved  Barbara  sin 
cerely,  and  it  cut.  Peggy  Gray  was  taken  into 
his  confidence  and  he  was  comforted  by  her 
encouragement.  It  was  a  bit  difficult  for  her 
to  advise  him  to  try  again,  but  his  happiness 
was  a  thing  she  had  at  heart. 

"It's  beastly  unfair,  Peggy,"  he  said.  "I've 
really  been  white  to  her.  I  believe  I'll  chuck 
the  whole  business  and  leave  New  York. " 

"You're  going  away?"  and  there  was  just  a 
suggestion  of  a  catch  in  her  breath. 

"I'm  going  to  charter  a  yacht  and  sail  away 
from  this  place  for  three  or  four  months." 
Peggy  fairly  gasped.  "What  do  you  think  of 
the  scheme?"  he  added,  noticing  the  alarm  and 
incredulity  in  her  eyes. 

"I  think  you'll  end  in  the  poor-house,  Mont 
gomery  Brewster,"  she  said,  with  a  laugh. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

A    FRIEND  IN  NEED 

It  was  while  Brewster  was  in  the  depths  of 
despair  that  his  financial  affairs  had  a  windfall. 
One  of  the  banks  in  which  his  money  was 
deposited  failed  and  his  balance  of  over 
$100,000  was  wiped  out.  Mismanagement  was 
the  cause  and  the  collapse  came  on  Friday,  the 
thirteenth  day  of  the  month.  Needless  to  say 
it  destroyed  every  vestige  of  the  superstition 
he  may  have  had  regarding  Friday  and  the 
number  thirteen. 

Brewster  had  money  deposited  in  five  banks, 
a  transaction  inspired  by  the  wild  hope  that, 
one  of  them  might  some  day  suspend  opera 
tions  and  thereby  prove  a  legitimate  benefit  to 
him.  There  seemed  no  prospect  that  the  bank 
could  resume  operations,  and  if  the  depositors 
in  the  end  realized  twenty  cents  on  the  dollar 
they  would  be  fortunate.  Notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  everybody  had  considered  the  institu 
tion  substantial  there  were  not  a  few  wiseacres 
who  called  Brewster  a  fool  and  were  so  unreas 
onable  as  to  say  that  he  did  not  know  how  to 
114 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  115 

handle  money.  He  heard  that  Miss  Drew,  in 
particular,  was  bitterly  sarcastic  in  referring  to 
his  stupidity. 

This  failure  caused  a  tremendous  flurry  in 
banking  circles.  It  was  but  natural  that 
questions  concerning  the  stability  of  other 
banks  should  be  asked,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  many  wild,  disquieting  reports  were 
afloat.  Anxious  depositors  rushed  into  the  big 
banking  institutions  and  then  rushed  out  again, 
partially  assured  that  there  was  no  danger. 
The  newspapers  sought  to  allay  the  fears  of 
the  people,  but  there  were  many  to  whom  fear 
became  panic.  There  were  short,  wild  runs  on 
some  of  the  smaller  banks,  but  all  were  in  a 
fair  way  to  restore  confidence  when  out  came 
the  rumor  that  the  Bank  of  Manhattan  Island 
was  in  trouble.  Colonel  Prentiss  Drew,  rail 
road  magnate,  was  the  president  of  this  bank. 

When  the  bank  opened  for  business  on  the 
Tuesday  following  the  failure,  there  was  a 
stampede  of  frightened  depositors.  Before 
eleven  o'clock  the  run  had  assumed  ugly  pro 
portions  and  no  amount  of  argument  could  stay 
the  onslaught.  Colonel  Drew  and  the  direct 
ors,  at  first  mildly  distressed,  and  then  seeing 
that  the  affair  had  become  serious,  grew  more 
alarmed  than  they  could  afford  to  let  the  public 


116  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

see.  The  loans  of  all  of  the  banks  were 
unusually  large.  Incipient  runs  on  some  had 
put  all  of  them  in  an  attitude  of  caution  and 
there  was  a  natural  reluctance  to  expose  their 
own  interests  to  jeopardy  by  coming  to  the 
relief  of  the  Bank  of  Manhattan  Island. 

Monty  Brewster  had  something  like  $200,000 
in  Colonel  Drew's  bank.  He  would  not  have 
regretted  on  his  own  account  the  collapse  of 
this  institution,  but  he  realized  what  it  meant 
to  the  hundreds  of  other  depositors,  and  for 
the  first  time  he  appreciated  what  his  money 
could  accomplish.  Thinking  that  his  presence 
might  give  confidence  to  the  other  depositors 
and  stop  the  run  he  went  over  to  the  bank  with 
Harrison  and  Bragdon.  The  tellers  were 
handing  out  thousands  of  dollars  to  the  eager 
depositors.  His  friends  advised  him  strongly 
to  withdraw  before  it  was  too  late,  but  Monty 
was  obdurate.  They  set  it  down  to  his  desire 
to  help  Barbara's  father  and  admired  his 
nerve. 

"I  understand,  Monty,"  said  Bragdon,  and 
both  he  and  Harrison  went  among  the  people 
carelessly  asking  one  another  if  Brewster  had 
come  to  withdraw  his  money.  "No,  he  has 
over  $200,000,  and  he's  going  to  leave  it,"  the 
other  would  say. 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  117 

Each  excited  group  was  visited  in  turn  by  the 
two  men,  but  their  assurance  seemed  to  accom 
plish  but  little.  These  men  and  women  were 
there  to  save  their  fortunes;  the  situation  was 
desperate. 

Colonel  Drew,  outwardly  calm  and  serene, 
but  inwardly  perturbed,  finally  saw  Brewster 
and  his  companions.  He  sent  a  messenger 
over  with  the  request  that  Monty  come  to  the 
president's  private  office  at  once. 

"He  wants  to  help  you  to  save  your  money," 
cried  Bragdon  in  low  tones.  "That  shows  it's 
all  up." 

"Get  out  every  dollar  of  it,  Monty,  and 
don't  waste  a  minute.  It's  a  smash  as  sure  as 
fate,"  urged  Harrison,  a  feverish  expression  in 
his  eyes. 

Brewster  was  admitted  to  the  Colonel's 
private  office.  Drew  was  alone  and  was  pacing 
the  floor  like  a  caged  animal. 

"Sit  down,  Brewster,  and  don't  mind  if  I 
seem  nervous.  Of  course  we  can  hold  out,  but 
it  is  terrible — terrible.  They  think  we  are 
trying  to  rob  them.  They're  mad — utterly 
mad." 

"I  never  saw  anything  like  it,  Colonel.  Are 
you  sure  you  can  meet  all  the  demands?"  asked 
Brewster,  thoroughly  excited.  The  Colonel's 


118  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

face  was  white  and  he  chewed  his  cigar 
nervously. 

"We  can  hold  out  unless  some  of  our 
heaviest  depositors  get  the  fever  and  swoop 
down  upon  us.  I  appreciate  your  feelings  in 
an  affair  of  this  kind,  coming  so  swiftly  upon 
the  heels  of  the  other,  but  I  want  to  give  you 
my  personal  assurance  that  the  money  you 
have  here  is  safe.  I  called  you  in  to  impress 
you  with  the  security  of  the  bank.  You  ought 
to  know  the  truth,  however,  and  I  will  tell  you 
in  confidence  that  another  check  like  Austin's, 
which  we  paid  a  few  minutes  ago,  would 
cause  us  serious,  though  temporary,  embarrass 
ment." 

"I  came  to  assure  you  that  I  have  not 
thought  of  withdrawing  my  deposits  from  this 
bank,  Colonel.  You  need  have  no  uneasi 
ness " 

The  door  opened  suddenly  and  one  of  the 
officials  of  the  bank  bolted  inside,  his  face  as 
white  as  death.  He  started  to  speak  before  he 
saw  Brewster,  and  then  closed  his  lips  despair 
ingly. 

"What  is  it,  Mr.  Moore?"  asked  Drew,  as 
calmly  as  possible.  "Don't  mind  Mr.  Brew 
ster." 

"Oglethorp  wants  to  draw  two  hundred  and 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  119 

fifty  thousand  dollars,"  said  Moore  in  strained 
tones. 

"Well,  he  can  have  it,  caii't  he?"  asked  the 
Colonel  quietly.  Moore  looked  helplessly  at 
the  president  of  the  bank,  and  his  silence  spoke 
more  plainly  than  words. 

"Brewster,  it  looks  bad,"  said  the  Colonel, 
turning  abruptly  to  the  young  man.  The  other 
banks  are  afraid  of  a  run  and  we  can't  count  on 
much  help  from  them.  Some  of  them  have 
helped  us  and  others  have  refused.  Now,  I 
not  only  ask  you  to  refrain  from  drawing  out 
your  deposit,  but  I  want  you  to  help  us  in  this 
crucial  moment."  The  Colonel  looked  twenty 
years  older  and  his  voice  shook  perceptibly. 
Brewster's  pity  went  out  to  him  in  a  flash. 

"What  can  I  do,  Colonel  Drew?"  he  cried. 
"I'll  not  take  my  money  out,  but  I  don't  know 
how  I  can  be  of  further  assistance  to  you. 
Command  me,  sir." 

"You  can  restore  absolute  confidence, 
Monty,  my  dear  boy,  by  increasing  your 
deposits  in  our  bank,"  said  the  Colonel 
slowly,  and  as  if  dreading  the  fate  of  the  sug 
gestion. 

"You  mean,  sir,  that  I  can  save  the  bank  by 
drawing  my  money  from  other  banks  and 
putting  it  here?"  asked  Monty,  slowly.  He 


120  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

was  thinking  harder  and  faster  than  he  had 
ever  thought  in  his  life.  Could  he  afford  to 
risk  the  loss  of  his  entire  fortune  on  the  fate  of 
this  bank?  What  would  Swearengen  Jones  say 
if  he  deliberately  deposited  a  vast  amount  of 
money  in  a  tottering  institution  like  the  Bank 
of  Manhattan  Island?  It  would  be  the  maddest 
folly  on  his  part  if  the  bank  went  down.  There 
could  be  no  mitigating  circumstances  in  the 
eyes  of  either  Jones  or  the  world,  if  he 
swamped  all  of  his  money  in  this  crisis. 

"I  beg  of  you,  Monty,  help  us."  The 
Colonel's  pride  was  gone.  "It  means  disgrace 
if  we  close  our  doors  even  for  an  hour;  it  means 
a  stain  that  only  years  can  remove.  You  can 
restore  confidence  by  a  dozen  strokes  of  your 
pen,  and  you  can  save  us." 

He  was  Barbara's  father.  The  proud  old 
man  was  before  him  as  a  suppliant,  no  longer 
the  cold  man  of  the  world.  Back  to  Brewster's 
mind  came  the  thought  of  his  quarrel  with 
Barbara  and  of  her  heartlessness.  A  scratch 
of  the  pen,  one  way  or  the  other,  could  change 
the  life  of  Barbara  Drew.  The  two  bankers 
stood  by  scarcely  breathing.  From  outside 
came  the  shuffle  of  many  feet  and  the  muffled 
roll  of  voices.  Again  the  door  to  the  private 
office  opened  and  a  clerk  excitedly  motioned 


A  FRIEND  7iV  NEED  121 

for  Mr.  Moore  to  hurry  to  the  front  of  the 
bank.  Moore  paused  irresolutely,  his  eyes 
on  Brewster's  face.  The  young  man  knew  the 
time  had  come  when  he  must  help  or  deny 
them. 

Like  a  flash  the  situation  was  made  clear  to 
him  and  his  duty  was  plain.  He  remembered 
that  the  Bank  of  Manhattan  Island  held  every 
dollar  that  Mrs.  Gray  and  Peggy  possessed; 
their  meager  fortune  had  been  entrusted  to  the 
care  of  Prentiss  Drew  and  his  associates,  and  it 
was  in  danger. 

"I  will  do  all  I  can,  Colonel,''  said  Monty, 
"but  upon  one  condition." 

"That  is?" 

"Barbara  must  never  know  of  this."  The 
Colonel's  gasp  of  astonishment  was  cut  short 
as  Monty  continued.  "Promise  that  she  shall 
never  know." 

"I  don't  understand,  but  if  it  is  your  wish  I 
promise." 

Inside  of  half  an  hour's  time  several  hundred 
thousand  came  to  the  relief  of  the  struggling 
bank,  and  the  man  who  had  come  to  watch  the 
run  with  curious  eyes  turned  out  to  be  its 
savior.  His  money  won  the  day  for  the  Bank 
of  Manhattan  Island.  When  the  happy  presi 
dent  and  directors  offered  to  pay  him  an 


122  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

astonishingly  high  rate  of  interest  for  the  use 
of  the  money  he  proudly  declined. 

The  next  day  Miss  Drew  issued  invitations 
for  a  cotillion.  Mr.  Montgomery  Brewster  was 
not  asked  to  attend. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

MRS.  DE  MILLE  ENTERTAINS 

Miss  Drew's  cotillion  was  not  graced  by  the 
presence  of  Montgomery  Brewster.  It  is  true 
he  received  an  eleventh-hour  invitation  and 
a  very  cold  and  difficult  little  note  of  apology, 
but  he  maintained  heroically  the  air  of  disdain 
that  had  succeeded  the  first  sharp  pangs  of 
disappointment.  Colonel  Drew,  in  whose  good 
graces  Monty  had  firmly  established  himself, 
was  not  quite  guiltless  of  usurping  the  role  of 
dictator  in  the  effort  to  patch  up  a  truce.  A 
few  nights  before  the  cotillion,  when  Barbara 
told  him  that  Herbert  Ailing  was  to  lead,  he 
explosively  expressed  surprise.  "Why  not 
Monty  Brewster,  Babs?"  he  demanded. 

"Mr.  Brewster  is  not  coming,"  she  re 
sponded  calmly. 

"Going  to  be  out  of  town?" 

"I'm  sure  I  do  not  know,"  stiffly. 

"What's  this?" 

"He    has   not    been    asked,    father."      Miss 
Drew  was  not  in  good  humor. 
123 


124  BREWSTER' S  MILLIONS 

"Not  asked?"  said  the  Colonel  in  amaze 
ment.  "It's  ridiculous,  Babs,  send  him  an 
invitation  at  once." 

"This  is  my  dance,  father,  and  I  don't  want 
to  ask  Mr.  Brewster." 

The  Colonel  sank  back  in  his  chair  and 
struggled  to  overcome  his  anger.  He  knew 
that  Barbara  had  inherited  his  willfulness,  and 
had  long  since  discovered  that  it  was  best  to 
treat  her  with  tact. 

"I  thought  you  and  he  were — "but  the 
Colonel's  supply  of  tact  was  exhausted. 

"We  were" — in  a  moment  of  absent  mind- 
edness.  "But  it's  all  over,"  said  Barbara. 

"Why,  child,  there  wouldn't  have  been  a 
cotillion  if  it  hadn't  been  for — "  but  the  Colonel 
remembered  his  promise  to  Monty  and 
checked  himself  just  in  time.  "I — I  mean 
there  will  not  be  any  party,  if  Montgomery 
Brewster  is  not  asked.  That  is  all  I  care  to 
say  on  the  subject,"  and  he  stamped  out  of 
the  room. 

Barbara  wept  copiously  after  her  father  had 
gone,  but  she  realized  that  his  will  was  law  and 
that  Monty  must  be  invited.  "I  will  send  an 
invitation,"  she  said  to  herself,  "but  if  Mr. 
Brewster  comes  after  he  has  read  it,  I  shall  be 
surprised." 


MRS.   DE  MILLE  ENTERTAINS        125 

Montgomery,  however,  did  not  receive  the 
note  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  had  been  sent. 
He  only  saw  in  it  a  ray  of  hope  that  Barbara 
was  relenting  and  was  jubilant  at  the  pros 
pect  of  a  reconciliation.  The  next  Sunday  he 
sought  an  interview  with  Miss  Drew,  but  she 
received  him  with  icy  reserve.  If  he  had 
thought  to  punish  her  by  staying  away,  it  was 
evident  that  she  felt  equally  responsible  for  a 
great  deal  of  misery  on  his  part.  Both  had 
been  more  or  less  unhappy,  and  both  were 
resentfully  obstinate.  Brewster  felt  hurt  and 
insulted,  while  she  felt  that  he  had  imposed 
upon  her  disgracefully.  He  was  now  ready  to 
cry  quits  and  it  surprised  him  to  find  her 
obdurate.  If  he  had  expected  to  dictate  the 
terms  of  peace  he  was  woefully  disappointed 
when  she  treated  his  advances  with  cool 
contempt. 

"Barbara,  you  know  I  care  very  much  for 
you,"  he  was  pleading,  fairly  on  the  road  to 
submission.  "I  am  sure  you  are  not  quite 
indifferent  to  me.  This  foolish  misunderstand 
ing  must  really  be  as  disagreeable  to  you  as  it 
is  to  me." 

"Indeed,"  she  replied,  lifting  her  brows 
disdainfully.  "You  are  assuming  a  good  deal, 
Mr.  Brewster." 


126  S RE  ULSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"I  am  merely  recalling  the  fact  that  you 
once  told  me  you  cared.  You  would  not 
promise  anything,  I  know,  but  it  meant  much 
that  you  cared.  A  little  difference  could  not 
have  changed  your  feeling  completely." 

"When  you  are  ready  to  treat  me  with 
respect  I  may  listen  to  your  petition,"  she  said, 
rising  haughtily. 

"My  petition?"  He  did  not  like  the  word 
and  his  tact  quite  deserted  him.  "It's  as  much 
yours  as  mine.  Don't  throw  the  burden  of 
responsibility  on  me,  Miss  Drew." 

"Have  I  suggested  going  back  to  the  old 
relations?  You  will  pardon  me  if  I  remind 
you  of  the  fact  that  you  came  to-day  on  your 
own  initiative  and  certainly  without  my  solici 
tation." 

"Now,  look  here,  Barbara —  he  began, 
dimly  realizing  that  it  was  going  to  be  hard, 
very  hard,  to  bring  her  to  reason. 

"I  am  very  sorry,  Mr.  Brewster,  but  you  will 
have  to  excuse  me.  I  am  going  out." 

"I  regret  exceedingly  that  I  should  have 
disturbed  you  to-day,  Miss  Drew,"  he  said 
swallowing  his  pride.  "Perhaps  I  may  have 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  again." 

As  he  was  leaving  the  house,  deep  anger  in 
his  soul,  he  encountered  the  Colonel.  There 


MRS.  DE  MILLE  ENTERTAINS        127 

was  something  about  Monty's  greeting,  cordial 
as  it  was,  that  gave  the  older  man  a  hint 
as  to  the  situation. 

"Won't  you  stop  for  dinner,  Monty?"  he 
asked,  in  the  hope  that  his  suspicion  was 
groundless. 

"Thank  you,  Colonel,  not  to-night,"  and  he 
was  off  before  the  Colonel  could  hold  him. 

Barbara  was  tearfully  angry  when  her  father 
came  into  the  room,  but  as  he  began  to  re 
monstrate  with  her  the  tears  disappeared  and 
left  her  at  white  heat. 

"Frankly,  father,  you  don't  understand  mat 
ters,"  she  said  with  slow  emphasis;  "I  wish 
you  to  know  now  that  if  Montgomery  Brewster 
calls  again,  I  shall  not  see  him." 

"If  that  is  your  point  of  view,  Barbara,  I 
wish  you  to  know  mine."  The  Colonel  rose 
and  stood  over  her,  everything  forgotten  but 
the  rage  that  went  so  deep  that  it  left  the 
surface  calm.  Throwing  aside  his  promise  to 
Brewster,  he  told  Barbara  with  dramatic 
simplicity  the  story  of  the  rescue  of  the  bank. 
"You  see,"  he  added,  "if  it  had  not  been  for 
that  open-hearted  boy  we  would  now  be 
ruined.  Instead  of  giving  cotillions,  you 
might  be  giving  music  lessons.  Montgomery 
Brewster  will  always  be  welcome  in  this  house 


128  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

and  you  will  see  that  my  wishes  are  respected. 
Do  you  understand?" 

"Perfectly,"  Barbara  answered  in  a  still 
voice.  "As  your  friend  I  shall  try  to  be  civil 
to  him." 

The  Colonel  was  not  satisfied  with  so  cold 
blooded  an  acquiescence,  but  he  wisely  retired 
from  the  field.  He  left  the  girl  silent  and 
crushed,  but  with  a  gleam  in  her  eyes  that 
was  not  altogether  to  be  concealed.  The  story 
had  touched  her  more  deeply  than  she  would 
willingly  confess.  It  was  something  to  know 
that  Monty  Brewster  could  do  a  thing  like 
that,  and  would  do  it  for  her.  The  exultant 
smile  which  it  brought  to  her  lips  could  only 
be  made  to  disappear  by  reminding  herself 
sharply  of  his  recent  arrogance.  Her  anger, 
she  found,  was  a  plant  which  needed  careful 
cultivation. 

It  was  in  a  somewhat  chastened  mood  that 
she  started  a  few  days  later  for  a  dinner  at  the 
DeMille's.  As  she  entered  in  her  sweeping 
golden  gown  the  sight  of  Monty  Brewster  at 
the  other  end  of  the  room  gave  her  a  flutter  at 
the  heart.  But  it  was  an  agitation  that  was 
very  carefully  concealed.  Brewster  was 
certainly  unconscious  of  it.  To  him  the 
position  of  guest  was  like  a  disguise  and  he 


MRS.  DE  MILLE  ENTERTAINS         129 

was  pleased  at  the  prospect  of  letting  himself 
go  under  the  mask  without  responsibility.  But 
it  took  on  a  different  color  when  the  butler 
handed  him  a  card  which  signified  that  he 
was  to  take  Miss  Drew  in  to  dinner.  Hastily 
seeking  out  the  hostess  he  endeavored  to 
convey  to  her  the  impossibility  of  the  situation. 

"I  hope  you  won't  misunderstand  me,"  he 
said.  "But  is  it  too  late  to  change  my  place  at 
the  table?" 

"It  isn't  conventional,  I  know,  Monty. 
Society's  chief  aim  is  to  separate  engaged 
couples  at  dinner, "said  Mrs.  Dan  with  a  laugh. 
"It  would  be  positively  compromising  if  a  man 
and  his  wife  sat  together." 

Dinner  was  announced  before  Monty  could 
utter  another  word,  and  as  she  led  him  over  to 
Barbara  she  said,  "Behold  a  generous  hostess 
who  gives  up  the  best  man  in  the  crowd  so  that 
he  and  someone  else  may  have  a  happy  time. 
I  leave  it  to  you,  Barbara,  if  that  isn't  the  test 
of  friendship." 

For  a  moment  the  two  riveted  their  eyes  on 
the  floor.  Then  the  humor  of  the  situation 
came  to  Monty. 

"I  did  not  know  that  we  were  supposed  to 
do  Gibson  tableaux  to-night,"  he  said  drily  as 
he  proffered  his  arm. 


130  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"I  don't  understand,"  and  Barbara's  curi 
osity  overcame  her  determination  not  to 
speak. 

"Don't  you  remember  the  picture  of  the  man 
who  was  called  upon  to  take  his  late  fiancee 
out  to  dinner?" 

The  awful  silence  with  which  this  remark 
was  received  put  an  end  to  further  efforts  at 
humor. 

The  dinner  was  probably  the  most  painful 
experience  in  their  lives.  Barbara  had  come  to 
it  softened  and  ready  to  meet  him  half  way. 
The  right  kind  of  humility  in  Monty  would 
have  found  her  plastic.  But  she  had  very 
definite  and  rigid  ideas  of  his  duty  in  the 
premises.  And  Monty  was  too  simple  minded 
to  seem  to  suffer,  and  much  too  flippant  to 
understand.  It  was  plain  to  each  that  the 
other  did  not  expect  to  talk,  but  they  both 
realized  that  they  owed  a  duty  to  appearances 
and  to  their  hostess.  Through  two  courses,  at 
least,  there  was  dead  silence  between  them. 
It  seemed  as  though  every  eye  in  the  room  were 
on  them  and  every  mind  were  speculating.  At 
last,  in  sheer  desperation,  Barbara  turned  to 
him  with  the  first  smile  he  had  seen  on  her 
face  in  days.  There  was  no  smile  in  her  eyes, 
however,  and  Monty  understood. 


MRS.  DE  MILLE  ENTERTAINS        131 

"We  might  at  least  give  out  the  impression 
that  we  are  friends,"  she  said  quietly. 

"More  easily  said  than  done,"  he  responded 
gloomily. 

"They  are  all  looking  at  us  and  wondering." 

"I  don't  blame  them." 

"We  owe  something  to  Mrs.  Dan,  I  think." 

"I  know." 

Barbara  uttered  some  inanity  whenever  she 
caught  anyone  looking  in  their  direction,  but 
Brewster  seemed  not  to  hear.  At  length  he 
cut  short  some  remark  of  hers  about  the 
weather. 

"What  nonsense  this  is,  Barbara,"  he  said. 
"With  anyone  else  I  would  chuck  the  whole 
game,  but  with  you  it  is  different.  I  don't  know 
what  I  have  done,  but  I  am  sorry.  I  hope 
you'll  forgive  me." 

"Your  assurance  is  amusing,  to  say  the 
least." 

"But  I  am  sure.  I  know  this  quarrel  is 
something  we'll  laugh  over.  You  keep  for 
getting  that  we  are  going  to  be  married  some 
day." 

A  new  light  came  into  Barbara's  eyes. 
"You  forget  that  my  consent  may  be  neces 
sary,"  she  said. 

"You  will  be  perfectly  willing  when  the  time 


132  BREWSTER' S  MILLIONS 

comes.  I  am  still  in  the  fight  and  eventually 
you  will  come  to  my  way  of  thinking." 

"Oh!  I  see  it  now,"  said  Barbara,  and  her 
blood  was  up.  "You  mean  to  force  me  to  it. 
What  you  did  for  father — " 

Brewster  glowered  at  her,  thinking  that  he 
had  misunderstood.  "What  do  you  mean?" 
he  said. 

"He  has  told  me  all  about  that  wretched 
bank  business.  But  poor  father  thought  you 
quite  disinterested.  He  did  not  see  the  little 
game  behind  your  melodrama.  He  would  have 
torn  up  your  check  on  the  instant  if  he  had 
suspected  you  were  trying  to  buy  his  daughter." 

"Does  your  father  believe  that?"  asked 
Brewster. 

"No,  but  I  see  it  all  now.  His  persistence 
and  yours — you  were  not  slow  to  grasp  the 
opportunity  he  offered." 

"Stop,  Miss  Drew,"  Monty  commanded. 
His  voice  had  changed  and  she  had  never 
before  seen  that  look  in  his  eyes.  "You  need 
have  no  fear  that  I  will  trouble  you  again." 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  CUT  DIRECT 

A  typographical  error  in  one  of  the  papers 
caused  no  end  of  amusement  to  every  one 
except  Monty  and  Miss  Drew.  The  headlines 
had  announced:  "Magnificent  ball  to  be  given 
Miss  Drew  by  her  Finance,"  and  the  "Little 
Sons  of  the  Rich"  wondered  why  Monty  did  not 
see  the  humor  of  it. 

"He  has  too  bad  an  attack  to  see  anything 
but  the  lady,"  said  Harrison  one  evening  when 
the  "Sons"  were  gathered  for  an  old-time 
supper  party. 

"It's  always  the  way,"  commented  the 
philosophical  Bragdon.  "When-  you  lose  your 
heart  your  sense  of  humor  goes  too.  Engaged 
couples  couldn't  do  such  ridiculous  stunts  if 
they  had  the  least  particle  of  it  left." 

"Well  if  Monty  Brewster  is  still  in  love  with 
Miss  Drew  he  takes  a  mighty  poor  way  of 
showing  it."  "Subway"  Smith's  remark  fell 
like  a  bombshell.  The  thought  had  come  to 
everyone,  but  no  one  had  been  given  the 
courage  to  utter  it.  For  them  Brewster's 

o 

133 


134  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

silence  on  the  subject  since  the  DeMille  dinner 
seemed  to  have  something  ominous  behind  it. 

"It's  probably  only  a  lover's  quarrel,"  said 
Bragdon.  But  further  comment  was  cut  short 
by  the  entrance  of  Monty  himself,  and  they 
took  their  places  at  table. 

Before  the  evening  came  to  an  end  they  were 
in  possession  of  many  astonishing  details  in 
connection  with  the  coming  ball.  Monty  did 
not  say  that  it  was  to  be  given  for  Miss  Drew 
and  her  name  was  conspicuously  absent  from 
his  descriptions.  As  he  unfolded  his  plans 
even  the  "Little  Sons,"  who  were  imaginative 
by  instinct  and  reckless  on  principle,  could  not 
be  quite  acquiescent. 

"Nopper"  Harrison  solemnly  expressed  the 
opinion  that  the  ball  would  cost  Brewster  at 
least  $125,000.  The  "Little  Sons"  looked  at 
one  another  in  consternation,  while  Brewster's 
indifference  expressed  itself  in  an  unflatter 
ing  comment  upon  his  friend's  vulgarity. 
"Good  Lord,  Nopper,"  he  added;  "you  would 
speculate  about  the  price  of  gloves  for  your 
wedding." 

Harrison  resented  the  taunt.  "It  would  be 
much  less  vulgar  to  do  that,  Monty,  saving 
your  presence,  than  to  force  your  millions  down 
everyone's  throat." 


THE  CUT  DIRECT  135 

"Well,  they  swallow  them,  I've  noticed," 
retorted  Brewster,  "as  though  they  were 
chocolates." 

Pettingill  interrupted  grandiloquently.  "My 
friends  and  gentlemen!" 

"Which  is  which?"  asked  Van  Winkle, 
casually. 

But  the  artist  was  in  the  saddle.  "Permit 
me  to  present  you  to  the  boy  Crcesus — the 
only  one  extant.  His  marbles  are  plunks  and 
his  kites  are  made  of  fifty-dollar  notes.  He 
feeds  upon  coupons  a  la  Newburgh,  and  his 
champagne  is  liquid  golden  eagles.  Look  at 
him,  gentlemen,  while  you  can,  and  watch  him 
while  he  spends  thirteen  thousand  dollars  for 
flowers!" 

"With  a  Viennese  orchestra  for  twenty-nine 
thousand!"  added  Bragdon.  "And  yet  they 
maintain  that  silence  is  golden." 

"And  three  singers  to  divide  twelve  thou 
sand  among  themselves!  That's  absolutely 
criminal,"  cried  Van  Winkle.  "Over  in  Ger 
many  they'd  sing  a  month  for  half  that 
amount." 

"Six  hundred  guests  to  feed — total  cost  of 
not  less  than  forty  thousand  dollars,"  groaned 
"Nopper,"  dolefully. 

"And   there  aren't    six  hundred   in   town," 


136  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

lamented  "Subway"  Smith.  "All  that  glory 
wasted  on  two  hundred  rank  outsiders." 

"You  men  are  borrowing  a  lot  of  trouble," 
yawned  Brewster  with  a  gallant  effort  to  seem 
bored.  "All  I  ask  of  you  is  to  come  to  the 
party  and  put  up  a  good  imitation  of  having  the 
time  of  your  life.  Between  you  and  me  I'd 
rather  be  caught  at  Huyler's  drinking  ice 
cream  soda  than  giving  this  thing.  But— 

"That's  what  we  want  to  know,  but  what?" 
and  "Subway"  leaned  forward  eagerly. 

"But,"  continued  Monty,  "I  am  in  for  it 
now,  and  it  is  going  to  be  a  ball  that  is  a 
ball." 

Nevertheless  the  optimistic  Brewster  could 
not  find  the  courage  to  tell  Peggy  of  these 
picturesque  extravagances.  To  satisfy  her 
curiosity  he  blandly  informed  her  that  he  was 
getting  off  much  more  cheaply  than  he  had 
expected.  He  laughingly  denounced  as  untrue 
the  stories  that  had  come  to  her  from  outside 
sources.  And  before  his  convincing  assertions 
that  reports  were  ridiculously  exaggerated,  the 
troubled  expression  in  the  girl's  eyes  dis 
appeared. 

"I  must  seem  a  fool,"  groaned  Monty,  as  he 
left  the  house  after  one  of  these  explanatory 
trials,  "but  what  will  she  think  of  me  toward 


THE  CUT  DIRECT  137 

the  end  of  the  year  when  I  am  really  in 
harness."  He  found  it  hard  to  control  the 
desire  to  be  straight  with  Peggy  and  tell 
her  the  story  of  his  mad  race  in  pursuit  of 
poverty. 

Preparations  for  the  ball  went  on  steadily, 
and  in  a  dull  winter  it  had  its  color  value  for 
society.  It  was  to  be  a  Spanish  costume-ball, 
and  at  many  tea-tables  the  talk  of  it  was  a 
god-send.  Sarcastic  as  it  frequently  was  on 
the  question  of  Monty's  extravagance,  there 
was  a  splendor  about  the  Aladdin-like  enter 
tainment  which  had  a  charm.  Beneath  the 
outward  disapproval  there  was  a  secret  admira 
tion  of  the  superb  nerve  of  the  man.  And 
there  was  little  reluctance  to  help  him  in  the 
wild  career  he  had  chosen.  It  was  so  easy  to 
go  with  him  to  the  edge  of  the  precipice  and 
let  him  take  the  plunge  alone.  Only  the  echo 
of  the  criticism  reached  Brewster,  for  he  had 
silenced  Harrison  with  work  and  Pettingill  with 
opportunities.  It  troubled  him  little,  as  he  was 
engaged  in  jotting  down  items  that  swelled 
the  profit  side  of  his  ledger  account  enormously. 
The  ball  was  bound  to  give  him  a  good  lead  in 
the  race  once  more,  despite  the  heavy  handi 
cap  the  Stock  Exchange  had  imposed.  The 
"Little  Sons"  took  off  their  coats  and  helped 


138  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

Pettingill  in  the  work  of  preparation.  He 
found  them  quite  superfluous,  for  their  ideas 
never  agreed  and  each  man  had  a  way  of 
preferring  his  own  suggestion.  To  Brewster's 
chagrin  they  were  united  in  the  effort  to  curb 
his  extravagance. 

"He'll  be  giving  automobiles  and  ropes  of 
pearls  for  favors  if  we  don't  stop  him,"  said 
"Subway"  Smith,  after  Monty  had  ordered  a 
vintage  champagne  to  be  served  during  the 
entire  evening.  "Give  them  two  glasses  first, 
if  you  like,  and  then  they  won't  mind  if  they 
have  cider  the  rest  of  the  night." 

"Monty  is  plain  dotty,"  chimed  in  Bragdon, 
"and  the  pace  is  beginning  to  tell  on  him." 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  pace  was  beginning 
to  tell  on  Brevvster.  Work  and  worry  were 
plainly  having  an  effect  on  his  health.  His 
color  was  bad,  his  eyes  were  losing  their  lustre, 
and  there  was  a  listlessness  in  his  actions  that 
even  determined  effort  could  not  conceal  from 
his  friends.  Little  fits  of  fever  annoyed  him 
occasionally  and  he  admitted  that  he  did  not 
feel  quite  right. 

"Something  is  wrong  somewhere,"  h'e  said, 
ruefully,  "and  my  whole  system  seems  ready 
to  stop  work  through  sympathy." 

Suddenly  there  was  a  mighty  check  to  the 


THE  CUT  DIRECT  139 

preparations.  Two  days  before  the  date  set  for 
the  ball  everything  came  to  a  standstill  and  the 
managers  sank  back  in  perplexity  and  conster 
nation.  Monty  Brewster  was  critically  ill. 

Appendicitis,  the  doctors  called  it,  and  an 
operation  was  imperative. 

"Thank  heaven  it's  fashionable,"  laughed 
Monty,  who  showed  no  fear  of  the  prospect. 
"How  ridiculous  if  it  had  been  the  mumps, 
or  if  the  newspapers  had  said,  'On  account  of 
the  whooping-cough,  Mr.  Brewster  did  not 
attend  his  ball.'  " 

"You  don't  mean  to  say — the  ball  is  off,  of 
course,"  and  Harrison  was  really  alarmed. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,  Nopper,"  said  Monty. 
"It's  what  I've  been  wanting  all  along.  You 
chaps  do  the  handshaking  and  I  stay  at  home." 

There  was  an  immediate  council  of  war  when 
this  piece  of  news  was  announced,  and  the 
"Little  Sons"  were  unanimous  in  favor  of 
recalling  the  invitations  and  declaring  the  party 
off.  At  first  Monty  was  obdurate,  but  when 
some  one  suggested  that  he  could  give  the  ball 
later  on,  after  he  was  well,  he  relented.  The 
opportunity  to  double  the  cost  by  giving  two 
parties  was  not  to  be  ignored. 

"Call  it  off,  then,  but  say  that  it  is  only 
postponed." 


140  SREIVSTER'S  MILLIONS 

A  great  rushing  to  and  fro  resulted  in  the 
cancelling  of  contracts,  the  recalling  of  invita 
tions,  the  settling  of  accounts,  with  the  most 
loyal  effort  to  save  as  much  as  possible  from 
the  wreckage.  Harrison  and  his  associates, 
almost  frantic  with  fear  for  Brewster's  life, 
managed  to  perform  wonders  in  the  few  hours 
of  grace.  Gardner,  with  rare  foresight,  saw 
that  the  Viennese  orchestra  would  prove  a  dead 
loss.  He  suggested  the  possibility  of  a  concert 
tour  through  the  country,  covering  several 
weeks,  and  Monty,  too  ill  to  care  one  way  or 
the  other,  authorized  him  to  carry  out  the  plan 
if  it  seemed  feasible. 

To  Monty,  fearless  and  less  disturbed  than 
any  other  member  of  his  circle,  appendicitis 
seemed  as  inevitable  as  vaccination. 

"The  appendix  is  becoming  an  important 
feature  in  the  Book  of  Life,"  he  once  told 
Peggy  Gray. 

He  refused  to  go  to  a  hospital,  but  pathetic 
ally  begged  to  be  taken  to  his  old  rooms  at 
Mrs.  Gray's. 

With   all   the  unhappy  loneliness  of  a  sick 
boy,   he  craved    the   care  and  companionship 
of  those  who  seemed  a  part  of  his  own.     Dr 
Lotless  had  them  transform  a  small  bedchamber 
into  a  model  operating  room  and  Monty  took 


THE  CUT  DIRECT  141 

no  small  satisfaction  in  the  thought  that  if 
he  was  to  be  denied  the  privilege  of  spend 
ing  money  for  several  weeks,  he  would  at  least 
make  his  illness  as  expensive  as  possible.  A 
consultation  of  eminent  surgeons  was  called, 
but  true  to  his  colors,  Brewster  installed  Dr. 
Lotless,  a  "Little  Son,"  as  his  house  surgeon. 
Monty  grimly  bore  the  pain  and  suffering  and 
submitted  to  the  operation  which  alone  could 
save  his  life.  Then  came  the  struggle,  then 
the  promise  of  victory  and  then  the  quiet  days 
of  convalescence.  In  the  little  room  where  he 
had  dreamed  his  boyish  dreams  and  suffered 
his  boyish  sorrows,  he  struggled  against  death 
and  gradually  emerged  from  the  mists  of  lassi 
tude.  He  found  it  harder  than  he  had  thought 
to  come  back  to  life.  The  burden  of  it  all 
seemed  heavy.  The  trained  nurses  found  that 
some  more  powerful  stimulant  than  the  med 
icine  was  needed  to  awaken  his  ambition,  and 
they  discovered  it  at  last  in  Peggy. 

"Child,"  he  said  to  her  the  first  time  she 
was  permitted  to  see  him,  and  his  eyes  had 
lights  in  them;  "do  you  know,  this  isn't  such 
a  bad  old  world  after  all.  Sometimes  as  I've 
lain  here,  it  has  looked  twisted  and  queer. 
But  there  are  things  that  straighten  it  out. 
To-day  I  feel  as  though  I  had  a  place  in  it — as 


142  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

though  I  could  fight  things  and  win  out. 
What  do  you  think,  Peggy?  Do  you  suppose 
there  is  something  that  I  could  do?  You  know 
what  I  mean — something  that  some  one  else 
would  not  do  a  thousand  times  better." 

But  Peggy,  to  whom  this  chastened  mood 
in  Monty  was  infinitely  pathetic,  would  not 
let  him  talk.  She  soothed  him  and  cheered 
him  and  touched  his  hair  with  her  cool  hands. 
And  then  she  left  him  to  think  and  brood 
and  dream. 

It  was  many  days  before  his  turbulent  mind 
drifted  to  the  subject  of  money,  but  suddenly 
he  found  himself  hoping  that  the  surgeons 
would  be  generous  with  their  charges.  He 
almost  suffered  a  relapse  when  Lotless,  visibly 
distressed,  informed  him  that  the  total  amount 
would  reach  three  thousand  dollars. 

"And  what  is  the  additional  charge  for  the 
operation?"  asked  Monty,  unwilling  to  accept 
such  unwarranted  favors. 

"It's  included  in  the  three  thousand,"  said 
Lotless.  They  knew  you  were  my  friend  and 
it  was  professional  etiquette  to  help  keep  down 
expenses." 

For  days  Brewster  remained  at  Mrs.  Gray's, 
happy  in  its  restfulness,  serene  under  the  charm 
of  Peggy's  presence,  and  satisfied  to  be  hope- 


THE  CUT  DIRECT  143 

lessly  behind  in  his  daily  expense  account. 
The  interest  shown  by  the  inquiries  at  the 
house  and  the  anxiety  of  his  friends  were 
soothing  to  the  profligate.  It  gave  him  back 
a  little  of  his  lost  self-respect.  The  doc 
tors  finally  decided  that  he  would  best  recu 
perate  in  Florida,  and  advised  a  month  at 
least  in  the  warmth.  He  leaped  at  the  propo 
sition,  but  took  the  law  into  his  own  hands  by 
ordering  General  Manager  Harrison  to  rent  a 
place,  and  insisting  that  he  needed  the  com 
panionship  of  Peggy  and  Mrs.  Gray. 

"How  soon  can  I  get  back  to  work,  Doctor?" 
demanded  Monty,  the  day  before  the  special 
train  was  to  carry  him  south.  He  was  begin 
ning  to  see  the  dark  side  of  this  enforced  idle 
ness.  His  blood  again  was  tingling  with  the 
desire  to  be  back  in  the  harness  of  a  spend 
thrift. 

"To  work?'  laughed  the  physician.  "And 
what  is  your  occupation,  pray?" 

"Making  other  people  rich,"  responded 
Brewster,  soberly. 

"Well,  aren't  you  satisfied  with  what  you 
have  done  for  me?  If  you  are  as  charitable  as 
that  you  must  be  still  pretty  sick.  Be  careful, 
and  you  may  be  on  your  feet  again  in  five  or 
six  weeks." 


144  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

Harrison  came  in  as  Lotless  left.  Peggy 
smiled  at  him  from  the  window.  She  had  been 
reading  aloud  from  a  novel  so  garrulous  that  it 
fairly  cried  aloud  for  interruptions. 

"Now,  Nopper,  what  became  of  the  ball 
I  was  going  to  give?"  demanded  Monty,  a 
troubled  look  in  his  eyes. 

"Why,  we  called  it  off,"  said  "Nopper,"  in 
surprise. 

"Don't  you  remember,  Monty?"  asked 
Peggy,  looking  up  quickly,  and  wondering  if 
his  mind  had  gone  trailing  off. 

"I  know  we  didn't  give  it,  of  course;  but 
what  date  did  you  hit  upon?" 

"We  didn't  postpone  it  at  all,"  said  "Nop 
per."  How  could  we?  We  didn't  know  whether 
—I  mean,  it  wouldn't  have  been  quite  right 
to  do  that  sort  of  thing." 

"I  understand.  Well,  what  has  become  of 
the  orchestra,  and  the  flowers,  and  all  that?" 

"The  orchestra  is  gallivanting  around  the 
country,  quarreling  with  itself  and  everybody 
else,  and  driving  poor  Gardner  to  the  insane 
asylum.  The  flowers  have  lost  their  bloom 
long  ago." 

"Well,  we'll  get  together,  Nopper,  and  try 
to  have  the  ball  at  mid-Lent.  I  think  I'll  be 
well  by  that  time." 


THE  CUT  DIRECT  145 

Peggy  looked  appealingly  at  Harrison  for 
guidance,  but  to  him  silence  seemed  the  better 
part  of  valor,  and  he  went  off  wondering  if 
the  illness  had  completely  carried  away 
Monty's  reason. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

IN  THE  SUNNY  SOUTH 

It  was  the  cottage  of  a  New  York  millionaire 
which  had  fallen  to  Brewster.  The  owner  had, 
for  the  time,  preferred  Italy  to  St.  Augustine, 
and  left  his  estate,  which  was  well  located  and 
lavishly  equipped,  in  the  hands  of  his  friends. 
Brewster's  lease  covered  three  months,  at  a 
fabulous  rate  per  month.  With  Joe  Bragdon 
installed  as  manager-in-chief,  his  establishment 
was  tranferred  bodily  from  New  York,  and  the 
rooms  were  soon  as  comfortable  as  their  grand 
eur  would  permit.  Brewster  was  not  allowed 
to  take  advantage  of  his  horses  and  the  new 
automobile  which  preceded  him  from  NewYork, 
but  to  his  guests  they  offered  unlimited  oppor 
tunities.  "Nopper"  Harrison  had  remained 
in  the  north  to  renew  arrangements  for  the 
now  hated  ball  and  to  look  after  the  advance 
details  of  the  yacht  cruise.  Dr.  Lotless 
and  his  sister,  with  "Subway"  Smith  and 
the  Grays,  made  up  Brewster's  party.  Lot- 
less  dampened  Monty's  spirits  by  relentlessly 

putting   him    on    rigid    diet,    with    most    dis- 

146 


IN  THE  SUNNY  SOUTH  147 

couraging  restrictions  upon  his  conduct.  The 
period  of  convalescence  was  to  be  an  exceed 
ingly  trying  one  for  the  invalid.  At  first  he 
was  kept  in-doors,  and  the  hours  were  whiled 
away  by  playing  cards.  But  Monty  consid 
ered  "bridge"  the  "pons  asinorum,"  and 
preferred  to  play  piquet  with  Peggy.  It  was 
one  of  these  games  that  the  girl  interrupted 
with  a  question  that  had  troubled  her  for 
many  days.  "Monty,"  she  said,  and  she 
found  it  much  more  difficult  than  when  she  had 
rehearsed  the  scene  in  the  silence  of  her  walks; 
"I've  heard  a  rumor  that  Miss  Drew  and  her 
mother  have  taken  rooms  at  the  hotel. 
Wouldn't  it  be  pleasanter  to  have  them  here?" 

A  heavy  gloom  settled  upon  Brewster's  face, 
and  the  girl's  heart  dropped  like  lead.  She 
had  puzzled  over  the  estrangement,  and  won 
dered  if  by  any  effort  of  her  own  things  could 
be  set  right.  At  times  she  had  had  flashing 
hopes  that  it  did  not  mean  as  much  to  Monty 
as  she  had  thought.  But  down  underneath, 
the  fear  that  he  was  unhappy  seemed  the  only 
certain  thing  in  life.  She  felt  that  she  must 
make  sure.  And  together  with  the  very  human 
desire  to  know  the  worst,  was  the  puritanical 
impulse  to  bring  it  about. 

"You  forget  that  this  is  the  last  place  they 


148  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

would  care  to  invade."  And  in  Brewster's 
face  Peggy  seemed  to  read  that  for  her  martyr 
dom  was  the  only  wear.  Bravely  she  put  it  on. 

"Monty,  I  forget  nothing  that  I  really  know. 
But  this  is  a  case  in  which  you  are  quite  wrong. 
Where  is  your  sporting  blood?  You  have 
never  fought  a  losing  fight  before,  and  you 
can't  do  it  now.  You  have  lost  your  nerve, 
Monty.  Don't  you  see  that  this  is  the  time 
for  an  aggressive  campaign?"  Somehow  she 
was  not  saying  things  at  all  as  she  had  planned 
to  say  them.  And  his  gloom  weighed  heavily 
upon  her.  "You  don't  mind,  do  you,  Monty," 
she  added,  more  softly,  "this  sort  of  thing  from 
me?  I  know  I  ought  not  to  interfere,  but  I've 
known  you  so  long.  And  I  hate  to  see  things 
twisted  by  a  very  little  mistake." 

But  Monty  did  mind  enormously.  He  had 
no  desire  to  talk  about  the  thing  anyway,  and 
Peggy's  anxiety  to  marry  him  off  seemed  a  bit 
unnecessary.  Manifestly  her  own  interest  in 
him  was  of  the  coldest.  From  out  of  the 
gloom  he  looked  at  her  somewhat  sullenly. 
For  the  moment  she  was  thinking  only  of  his 
pain,  and  her  face  said  nothing. 

"Peggy,"  he  exclaimed,  finally,  resenting 
the  necessity  of  answering  her,  "you  don't  in 
the  least  know  what  you  are  talking  about.  It 


IN  THE  SUNNY  SOUTH  149 

is  not  a  fit  of  anger  on  Barbara  Drew's  part. 
It  is  a  serious  conviction." 

"A  conviction  which  can  be  changed,"  the 
girl  broke  in. 

"Not  at  all."  Brewster  took  it  up.  "She 
has  no  faith  in  me.  She  thinks  I'm  an  ass." 

"Perhaps  she's  right,"  she  exclaimed,  a  little 
hot.  "Perhaps  you  have  never  discovered  that 
girls  say  many  things  to  hide  their  emotions. 
Perhaps  you  don't  realize  what  feverish,  ex 
clamatory,  foolish  things  girls  are.  They  don't 
know  how  to  be  honest  with  the  men  they 
love,  and  they  wouldn't  if  they  did.  You  are 
little  short  of  an  idiot,  Monty  Brewster,  if  you 
believed  the  things  she  said  rather  than  the 
things  she  looked." 

And  Peggy,  fiery  and  determined  and  defi 
antly  unhappy,  threw  down  her  cards  and 
escaped  so  that  she  might  not  prove  herself 
tearfully  feminine.  She  left  Brewster  still 
heavily  enveloped  in  melancholy;  but  she  left 
him  puzzled.  He  began  to  wonder  if  Barbara 
Drew  did  have  something  in  the  back  of  her 
mind.  Then  he  found  his  thoughts  wandering 
off  toward  Peggy  and  her  defiance.  He  had 
only  twice  before  seen  her  in  tha*-  mood,  and 
he  liked  it.  He  remembered  how  she  had  lost 
her  temper  once  when  she  was  fifteen,  and 


150  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

hated  a  girl  he  admired.  Suddenly  he  laughed 
aloud  at  the  thought  of  the  fierce  little  picture 
she  had  made,  and  the  gloom,  which  had  been 
so  sedulously  cultivated,  was  dissipated  in  a 
moment.  The  laugh  surprised  the  man  who 
brought  in  some  letters.  One  of  them  was 
from  "Nopper"  Harrison,  and  gave  him  all 
the  private  news.  The  ball  was  to  be  given  at 
mid-Lent,  which  arrived  toward  the  end  of 
March,  and  negotiations  were  well  under  way 
for  the  chartering  of  the  "Flitter,"  the  steam- 
yacht  belonging  to  Reginald  Brown,  late  of 
Brown  &  Brown. 

The  letter  made  Brewster  chafe  under  the 
bonds  of  inaction.  His  affairs  were  getting 
into  a  discouraging  state.  The  illness  was  cer 
tain  to  entail  a  loss  of  more  than  $50,000  to  his 
business.  His  only  consolation  came  through 
Harrison's  synopsis  of  the  reports  from  Gard 
ner,  who  was  managing  the  brief  American  tour 
of  the  Viennese  orchestra.  Quarrels  and  dissen 
sions  were  becoming  every-day  embarrass 
ments,  and  the  venture  was  an  utter  failure 
from  a  financial  point  of  view.  Broken  con 
tracts  and  lawsuits  were  turning  the  tour  into 
one  continuous  round  of  losses,  and  poor 
Gardner  was  on  the  point  of  despair.  From  the 
beginning,  apparently,  the  concerts  had  been 


IN  THE  SUNNY  SOUTH  151 

marked  for  disaster.  Public  indifference  had 
aroused  the  scorn  of  the  irascible  members  of 
the  orchestra,  and  there  was  imminent  danger 
of  a  collapse  in  the  organization.  Gardner 
lived  in  constant  fear  that  his  troop  of  quarrel 
some  Hungarians  would  finish  their  tour  sud 
denly  in  a  pitched  battle  with  daggers  and 
steins.  Brewster  smiled  at  the  thought  of  the 
practical  Gardner  trying  to  smooth  down  the 
electric  emotions  of  these  musicians. 

A  few  days  later  Mrs.  Prentiss  Drew  and  Miss 
Drew  registered  at  the  Ponce  de  Leon,  and 
there  was  much  speculation  upon  the  chances 
for  a  reconciliation.  Monty,  however,  main 
tained  a  strict  silence  on  the  subject,  and 
refused  to  satisfy  the  curiosity  of  his  friends. 
Mrs.  Drew  had  brought  down  a  small  crowd, 
including  two  pretty  Kentucky  girls  and  a 
young  Chicago  millionaire.  She  lived  wefl  and 
sensibly,  and  with  none  of  the  extravagance 
that  characterized  the  cottage.  Yet  it  was 
inevitable  that  Brewster's  guests  should  see 
hers  and  join  some  of  their  riding  parties. 
Monty  pleaded  that  he  was  not  well  enough  to 
be  in  these  evcursions,  but  neither  he  nor  Bar 
bara  cared  to  over-emphasize  their  estrange 
ment. 

Peggy  Gray  was  in  despair  over  Monty's  atti- 


152  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

tude.  She  had  become  convinced  that  behind 
his  pride  he  was  cherishing  a  secret  longing  for 
Barbara.  Yet  she  could  not  see  how  the  walls 
were  to  be  broken  down  if  he  maintained  this 
icy  reserve.  She  was  sure  that  the  masterful 
tone  was  the  one  to  win  with  a  girl  like  that, 
but  evidently  Monty  would  not  accept  advice. 
That  he  was  mistaken  about  Barbara's  feeling 
she  did  not  doubt  for  a  moment,  and  she  saw 
things  going  hopelessly  wrong  for  want  of  a 
word.  There  were  times  when  she  let  herself 
dream  of  possibilities,  but  they  always  ended 
by  seeming  too  impossible.  She  cared  too  much 
to  make  the  attainment  of  her  vision  seem  sim 
ple.  She  cared  too  much  to  be  sure  of  any 
thing. 

At  moments  she  fancied  that  she  might  say 
a  word  to  Miss  Drew  which  would  straighten 
things  out.  But  there  was  something  about 
her  which  held  her  off.  Even  now  that  they 
were  thrown  together  more  or  less  she  could 
not  get  beyond  a  certain  barrier.  It  was  not 
until  a  sunny  day  when  she  had  accepted  Bar 
bara's  invitation  to  drive  that  things  seemed  to 
go  more  easily.  For  the  first  time  she  felt  the 
charm  of  the  girl,  and  for  the  first  time  Barbara 
seemed  unreservedly  friendly.  It  was  a  quiet 
drive  they  were  taking  through  the  woods 


IN  THE  SUNNY  SOUTH  153 

and  out  along  the  beach,  and  somehow  in 
the  open  air  things  simplified  themselves. 
Finally,  in  the  softness  and  the  idle  warmth, 
even  an  allusion  to  Monty,  whose  name  usually 
meant  an  embarrassing  change  of  subject, 
began  to  seem  possible.  It  was  inevitable  that 
Peggy  should  bring  it  in;  for  with  her  a  ques 
tion  of  tact  was  never  allowed  to  dominate 
when  things  of  moment  were  at  stake.  She 
cowered  before  the  plunge,  but  she  took  it 
unafraid. 

"The  doctor  says  Monty  may  go  out  driving 
tomorrow,"  she  began.  "Isn't  that  fine?" 

Barbara's  only  response  was  to  touch  her 
pony  a  little  too  sharply  with  the  whip.  Peggy 
went  on  as  if  unconscious  of  the  challenge. 

"He  has  been  bored  to  death,  poor  fellow, 
in  the  house  all  this  time,  and  — " 

"Miss  Gray,  please  do  not  mention  Mr.  Brew- 
ster's  name  to  me  again,"  interrupted  Barbara, 
with  a  contraction  of  the  eyebrows.  But  Peggy 
was  seized  with  a  spirit  of  defiance  and  plunged 
recklessly  on. 

"What  is  the  use,  Miss  Drew,  of  taking  an 
attitude  like  that?  I  know  the  situation  pretty 
well,  and  I  can't  believe  that  either  Monty  or 
you  has  lost  in  a  week  a  feeling  that  was  so 
deep-seated.  I  know  Monty  much  too  well  to 


154  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

think  that  he  would  change  so  easily."  Peggy 
still  lived  largely  in  her  ideals.  "And  you  are 
too  fine  a  thing  not  to  have  suffered  under 
this  misunderstanding.  It  seems  as  if  a  very 
small  word  would  set  you  both  straight." 

Barbara  drew  herself  up  and  kept  her  eyes 
on  the  road  which  lay  white  and  gleaming  in 
the  sun.  "I  have  not  the  least  desire  to  be 
set  straight."  And  she  was  never  more  serious. 

"But  it/"  was  only  a  few  weeks  ago  that  you 
were  engaged." 

"I  am  sorry,"  answered  Barbara,  "that  it 
should  have  been  talked  about  so  much.  Mr. 
Brewster  did  ask  me  to  marry  him,  but  I  never 
accepted.  In  fact,  it  was  only  his  persistence 
that  made  me  consider  the  matter  at  all.  I 
did  think  about  it.  I  confess  that  I  rather 
liked  him.  But  it  was  not  long  before  I  found 
him  out." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  And  there  was 
a  flash  in  Peggy's  eyes.  "What  has  he 
done?" 

"To  my  certain  knowledge  he  has  spent  more 
than  four  hundred  thousand  dollars  since  last 
September.  That  is  something,  is  it  not?" 
Miss  Drew  said,  in  her  slow,  cool  voice,  and 
even  Peggy's  loyalty  admitted  some  justifica 
tion  in  the  criticism. 


IN  THE  SUNNY  SOUTH  155 

"Generosity  has  ceased  to  be  a  virtue  then?" 
she  asked  coldly. 

"Generosity!"  exclaimed  Barbara,  sharply. 
"It's  sheer  idiocy.  Haven't  you  heard  the 
things  people  are  saying?  They  are  calling 
him  a  fool,  and  in  the  clubs  they  are  betting 
that  he  will  be  a  pauper  within  a  year." 

"Yet  they  charitably  help  him  to  spend  his 
money.  And  I  have  noticed  that  even  worldly 
mammas  find  him  eligible."  The  comment 
was  not  without  its  caustic  side. 

"That  was  months  ago,  my  dear,"  protested 
Barbara,  calmly.  "When  he  spoke  to  me — 
he  told  me  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to 
marry  within  a  year.  And  don't  you  see  that 
a  year  may  make  him  an  abject  beggar?" 

"Naturally  anything  is  preferable  to  a 
beggar,"  came  in  Peggy's  clear,  soft  voice. 

Barbara  hesitated  only  a  moment. 

"Well,  you  must  admit,  Miss  Gray,  that  it 
shows  a  shameful  lack  of  character.  How 
could  any  girl  be  happy  with  a  man  like  that? 
And,  after  all,  one  must  look  out  for  one's  own 
fate." 

"Undoubtedly,"  replied  Peggy,  but  many 
thoughts  were  dashing  through  her  brain. 

"Shall  we  turn  back  to  the  cottage?"  she 
said,  after  an  awkward  silence. 


156  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"You  certainly  don't  approve  of  Mr.  Brevv- 
ster's  conduct?"  Barbara  did  not  like  to  be 
placed  in  the  wrong,  and  felt  that  she  must 
endeavor  to  justify  herself.  "He  is  the  most 
reckless  of  spendthrifts,  we  know,  and  he 
probably  indulges  in  even  less  respectable 
excitement." 

Peggy  was  not  tall,  but  she  carried  her  head 
at  this  moment  as  though  she  were  in  the  habit 
of  looking  down  on  the  world. 

"Aren't  you  going  a  little  too  far,  Miss 
Drew?"  she  asked  placidly. 

"It  is  not  only  New  York  that  laughs  over 
his  Quixotic  transactions,"  Barbara  persisted. 
"Mr.  Hampton,  our  guest  from  Chicago,  says 
the  stories  are  worse  out  there  than  they  are  in 
the  east." 

"It  is  a  pity  that  Monty's  illness  should  have 
made  him  so  weak,"  said  Peggy  quietly,  as 
they  turned  in  through  the  great  iron  gates, 
and  Barbara  was  not  slow  to  see  the  point. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  NEW  TENDERFOOT 

Brewster  was  comparatively  well  and  strong 
when  he  returned  to  New  York  in  March. 
His  illness  had  interfered  extensively  with  his 
plan  of  campaign  and  it  was  imperative  that  he 
redouble  his  efforts,  notwithstanding  the  man 
ifest  dismay  of  his  friends.  His  first  act  was 
to  call  upon  Grant  &  Ripley,  from  whom  he 
hoped  to  learn  what  Swearengen  Jones  thought 
of  his  methods.  The  lawyers  had  heard  no 
complaint  from  Montana,  and  advised  him  to 
continue  as  he  had  begun,  assuring  him,  as  far 
as  they  could,  that  Jones  would  not  prove 
unreasonable. 

An  exchange  of  telegrams  just  before  his 
operation  had  renewed  Monty's  dread  of  his 
eccentric  mentor. 

New  York,  Jan.  6,  19 — 
SWEARENGEN  JONES, 

Butte,  Mont. 

How  about  having  my  life  insured?  Would  it  violate 
conditions? 

MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER. 
157 


158  BREWSTER  S  MILLIONS 

To  MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER, 

New  York. 

Seems  to  me  your  life  would  become  an  asset  in  that 
case.     Can  you  dispose  of  it  before  September  23d? 

JONES. 

To  SWEARENGEN  JONES, 

Butte,  Mont. 

On  the  contrary  I  think  life  will  be  a  debt  by  that 
time.  MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER. 

To  MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER, 

New  York. 

If  you  feel  that  way  about  it,  I  advise  you  to  take  out 
a  $500  policy.  JONES. 

To  SWEARENGEN  JONES, 

Butte,  Mont. 

Do  you  think  that  amount  would  cover  funeral 
expenses?  MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER. 

To  MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER, 

New  York. 

You  won't  be  caring  about  expenses  if  it  comes  to  that. 

JONES. 

The  invitations  for  the  second  ball  had  been 
out  for  some  time  and  the  preparations  were 
nearly  complete  when  Brewster  arrived  upon 
the  scene  of  festivity.  It  did  not  surprise  him 
that  several  old-time  friends  should  hunt  him 
up  and  protest  vigorously  against  the  course  he 


THE  NEW  TENDERFOOT  159 

was  pursuing.  Nor  did  it  surprise  him  when 
he  found  that  his  presence  was  not  as  essential 
to  the  success  of  some  other  affair  as  it  had 
once  been.  He  was  not  greeted  as  cordially  as 
before,  and  he  grimly  wondered  how  many  of 
his  friends  would  stand  true  to  the  end.  The 
uncertainty  made  him  turn  more  and  more 
often  to  the  unquestioned  loyalty  of  Peggy 
Gray,  and  her  little  library  saw  him  more  fre 
quently  than  for  months. 

Much  as  he  had  dreaded  the  pretentious  and 
resplendent  ball,  it  was  useful  to  him  in  one 
way  at  least.  The  "profit"  side  of  his  ledger 
account  Vas  enlarged  and  in  that  there  was 
room  for  secret  satisfaction.  The  Viennese 
orchestra  straggled  into  New  York,  headed 
by  Elon  Gardner,  a  physical  wreck,  in  time  to 
make  a  harmonious  farewell  appearance  behind 
Brewster's  palms,  which  caused  his  guests  to 
wonder  why  the  American  public  could  not 
appreciate  the  real  thing.  A  careful  summing 
up  of  the  expenses  and  receipts  proved  that 
the  tour  had  been  a  bonanza  for  Brewster.  The 
net  loss  was  a  trifle  more  than  $56,000.  When 
this  story  became  known  about  town,  everybody 
laughed  pityingly,  and  poor  Gardner  was  almost 
in  tears  when  he  tried  to  explain  the  disaster 
to  the  man  who  lost  the  money.  But  Monty's 


160  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

sense    of    humor,   singularly   enough,    did    not 
desert  him  on  this  trying  occasion. 

^Esthetically  the  ball  proved  to  be  the 
talk  of  more  than  one  season.  Pettingill  had 
justified  his  desire  for  authority  and  made 
a  name  which  would  last.  He  had  taken  mat 
ters  into  his  own  hands  while  Brewster  was 
in  Florida,  and  changed  the  period  from  the 
Spain  of  Velasquez  to  France  and  Louis 
Quinze.  After  the  cards  were  out  he  remem 
bered,  to  his  consternation,  that  the  favors 
purchased  for  the  Spanish  ball  would  be 
entirely  inappropriate  for  the  French  one.  He 
wired  Brewster  at  once  of  this  misfortune,  and 
was  astonished  at  the  nonchalance  of  his  reply. 
"But  then  Monty  always  was  a  good  sort,"  he 
thought,  with  a  glow  of  affection.  The  new 
plan  was  more  costly  than  the  old,  for  it  was 
no  simple  matter  to  build  a  Versailles  suite  at 
Sherry's.  Pettingill  was  no  imitator,  but  he 
created  an  effect  which  was  superbly  in  keep 
ing  with  the  period  he  had  chosen.  Against  it 
the  rich  costumes,  with  their  accompaniment  of 
wigs  and  powdered  hair,  shone  out  resplen 
dent.  With  great  difficulty  the  artist  had 
secured  for  Monty  a  costume  in  white  satin 
and  gold  brocade,  which  might  once  have 
adorned  the  person  of  Louis  himself.  It 


THE  NEW  TENDERFOOT  161 

made  him  feel  like  a  popinjay,  and  it  was  with 
infinite  relief  that  he  took  it  off  an  hour  or  so 
after  dawn.  He  knew  that  things  had  gone 
well,  that  even  Mrs.  Dan  was  satisfied;  but  the 
whole  affair  made  him  heartsick.  Behind  the 
compliments  lavished  upon  him  he  detected  a 
note  of  irony,  which  revealed  the  laughter 
that  went  on  behind  his  back.  He  had  not 
realized  how  much  it  would  hurt.  "For  two 
cents,"  he  thought,  "I'd  give  up  the  game  and 
be  satisfied  with  what's  left."  But  he  reflected 
that  such  a  course  would  offer  no  chance  to 
redeem  himself.  Once  again  he  took  up  the 
challenge  and  determined  to  win  out.  "Then," 
he  thought  exultantly,  "I'll  make  them  feel 
this  a  bit." 

He  longed  for  the  time  when  he  could  take 
his  few  friends  with  him  and  sail  away  to  the 
Mediterranean  to  escape  the  eyes  and  tongues 
of  New  York.  Impatiently  he  urged  Har 
rison  to  complete  the  arrangements,  so  that 
they  could  start  at  once.  But  Harrison's 
face  was  not  untroubled  when  he  made  his 
report.  All  the  preliminary  details  had  been 
perfected.  He  had  taken  the  "Flitter"  for 
four  months,  and  it  was  being  overhauled  and 
put  into  condition  for  the  voyage.  It  had  been 
Brown's  special  pride,  but  at  his  death  it  went 


162  BREWSTER' S  MILLIONS 

to  heirs  who  were  ready  and  eager  to  rent  it  to 
the  highest  bidder.  It  would  not  have  been 
easy  to  find  a  handsomer  yacht  in  New  York 
waters.  A  picked  crew  of  fifty  men  were 
under  command  of  Captain  Abner  Perry.  The 
steward  was  a  famous  manager  and  could  be 
relied  upon  to  stock  the  larder  in  princely 
fashion.  The  boat  would  be  in  readiness  to 
sail  by  the  tenth  of  April. 

"I  think  you  are  going  in  too  heavily, 
Monty,"  protested  Harrison,  twisting  his  fin- 
gers..nervously.  "I  can't  for  my  life  figure  how 
you  can  get  out  for  less  than  a  fortune,  if  we 
do  everything  you  have  in  mind.  Wouldn't 
it  be  better  to  pull  up  a  bit?  This  looks  like 
sheer  madness.  You  won't  have  a  dollar, 
Monty — honestly  you  won't." 

"It's  not  in  me  to  save  money,  Nopper,  but 
if  you  can  pull  out  a  few  dollars  for  yourself  I 
shall  not  object." 

"You  told  me  that  once  before,  Monty," 
said  Harrison,  as  he  walked  to  the  window. 
When  he  resolutely  turned  back  again  to 
Brewster  his  face  was  white,  but  there  was 
a  look  of  determination  around  the  mouth. 

"Monty,  I've  got  to  give  up  this  job,"  he 
said,  huskily.  Brewster  looked  up  quickly. 

"What  do  you  mean,  Nopper?" 


THE  NEW  TENDERFOOT  163 

"I've  got  to  leave,  that's  all,"  said  Harrison, 
standing  stiff  and  straight  and  looking  over 
Brewster's  head 

"Good  Lord,  Nopper,  I  can't  have  that. 
You  must  not  desert  the  ship.  What's  the 
matter,  old  chap?  You're  as  white  as  a  ghost. 
What  is  it?"  Monty  was  standing  now  and  his 
hands  were  on  Harrison's  shoulders,  but 
before  the  intensity  of  his  look,  his  friend's 
eyes  fell  helplessly. 

"The  truth  is,  Monty,  I've  taken  some  of 
your  money  and  I've  lost  it.  That's  the  reason 
I — I  can't  stay  on.  I  have  betrayed  your  con 
fidence.'' 

"Tell  me  about  it,"  and  Monty  was  perhaps 
more  uncomfortable  than  his  friend.  "I  don't 
understand." 

"You  believed  too  much  in  me,  Monty. 
You  see,  I  thought  I  was  doing  you  a  favor. 
You  were  spending  so  much  and  getting  noth 
ing  in  return,  and  I  thought  I  saw  a  chance  to 
help  you  out.  It  went  wrong,  that's  all,  and 
before  I  could  let  go  of  the  stock  sixty  thou 
sand  dollars  of  your  money  had  gone.  I  can't 
replace  it  yet.  But  God  knows  I  didn't  mean 
to  steal." 

"It's  all  right,  Nopper.  I  see  that  you 
thought  you  were  helping  me.  The  money's 


164  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

gone  and  that  ends  it.  Don't  take  it  so  hard, 
old  boy." 

"I  knew  you'd  act  this  way,  but  it  doesn't 
help  matters.  Some  day  I  may  be  able  to  pay 
back  the  money  I  took,  and  I'm  going  to  work 
until  I  do." 

Brewster  protested  that  he  had  no  use  for 
the  money  and  begged  him  to  retain  the  posi 
tion  of  trust  he  had  held.  But  Harrison  had 
too  much  self-respect  to  care  to  be  confronted 
daily  with  the  man  he  had  wronged.  Gradu 
ally  Monty  realized  that  "Nopper"  was  pursu 
ing  the  most  manly  course  open  to  him,  and 
gave  up  the  effort  to  dissuade  him.  He 
insisted  upon  leaving  New  York,  as  there 
was  no  opportunity  to  redeem  himself  in  the 
metropolis. 

"I've  made  up  my  mind,  Monty,  to  go  out 
west,  up  in  the  mountains  perhaps.  There's 
no  telling,  I  may  stumble  on  a  gold  mine  up 
there — and — well,  that  seems  to  be  the  only 
chance  I  have  to  restore  what  I  have  taken 
from  you." 

"By  Jove,  Nopper,  I  have  it!"  cried  Monty. 
"If  you  must  go,  I'll  stake  you  in  the  hunt  for 
gold." 

In  the  end  "Nopper"  consented  to  follow 
Brewster's  advice,  and  it  was  agreed  that  they 


THE  NEW  TENDERFOOT  165 

should  share  equally  all  that  resulted  from  his 
prospecting  tour.  Brewster  "grub-staked" 
him  for  a  year,  and  before  the  end  of  the  week 
a  new  tenderfoot  was  on  his  way  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 


THE  PRODIGAL  A  T  SEA 

Harrison's  departure  left  Brewster  in  sore 
straits.  It  forced  him  to  settle  down  to  the 
actual  management  of  his  own  affairs.  He 
was  not  indolent,  but  this  was  not  the  kind  of 
work  he  cared  to  encourage.  The  private 
accounts  he  had  kept  revealed  some  appalling 
facts  when  he  went  over  them  carefully  one 
morning  at  four  o'clock,  after  an  all-night  ses 
sion  with  the  ledger.  With  infinite  pains  he 
had  managed  to  rise  to  something  over  $450,000 
in  six  months.  But  to  his  original  million  it 
had  been  necessary  to  add  $58,550  which  he 
had  realized  from  Lumber  and  Fuel  and  some 
of  his  other  "unfortunate"  operations.  At 
least  $40,000  would  come  to  him  ultimately 
through  the  sale  of  furniture  and  other  belong 
ings,  and  then  there  would  be  something  like 
$20,000  interest  to  consider.  But  luck  had 
aided  him  in  getting  rid  of  his  money.  The 
bank  failure  had  cost  him  $113,468.25,  and 
"Nopper"  Harrison  had  helped  him  to  the 

extent  of   $60,000.      The    reckless    but   deter- 
166 


THE  PRODIGAL  A  T  SEA  167 

mined  effort  to  give  a  ball  had  cost  $30,000. 
What  he  had  lost  during  his  illness  had  been 
pretty  well  offset  by  the  unlucky  concert  tour. 
The  Florida  trip,  including  medical  attention, 
the  cottage  and  living  expenses,  had  entailed 
the  expenditure  of  $18,500,  and  his  princely 
dinners  and  theater  parties  had  footed  up 
$31,000.  Taking  all  the  facts  into  considera 
tion,  he  felt  that  he  had  done  rather  well  as  far 
as  he  had  gone,  but  the  hardest  part  of  the 
undertaking  was  yet  to  come.  He  was  still  in 
possession  of  an  enormous  sum  which  must 
disappear  before  September  23d.  About 
$40,000  had  already  been  expended  in  the 
yachting  project. 

He  determined  to  begin  at  once  a  systematic 
campaign  of  extinction.  It  had  been  his  inten 
tion  before  sailing  to  dispose  of  many  house 
hold  articles,  either  by  sale  or  gift.  As  he  did 
not  expect  to  return  to  New  York  before  the 
latter  part  of  August,  this  would  minimize  the 
struggles  of  the  last  month.  But  the  prospect 
ive  "profit"  to  be  acquired  from  keeping  his 
apartment  open  was  not  to  be  overlooked.  He 
could  easily  count  upon  a  generous  sum  for 
salaries  and  running  expenses.  Once  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  he  hoped  that  new 
opportunities  for  extravagance  would  present 


168  jBREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

themselves,  and  he  fancied  he  could  leave 
the  final  settlement  of  his  affairs  for  the  last 
month.  As  the  day  for  sailing  approached, 
the  world  again  seemed  bright  to  this  most 
mercenary  of  spendthrifts. 

A  farewell  consultation  with  his  attorneys 
proved  encouraging,  for  to  them  his  chances  to 
win  the  extraordinary  contest  seemed  of  the 
best.  He  was  in  high  spirits  as  he  left  them, 
exhilarated  by  the  sensation  that  the  world  lay 
before  him.  In  the  elevator  he  encountered 
Colonel  Prentiss  Drew.  On  both  sides  the 
meeting  was  not  without  its  difficulties.  The 
Colonel  had  been  dazed  by  the  inexplicable 
situation  between  Monty  and  his  daughter, 
whose  involutions  he  found  hard  to  understand. 
Her  summary  of  the  effort  she  had  made  to 
effect  a  reconciliation,  after  hearing  the  story 
of  the  bank,  was  rather  vague.  She  had  done 
her  utmost,  she  said,  to  be  nice  to  him  and 
make  him  feel  that  she  appreciated  his  gener 
osity,  but  he  took  it  in  the  most  disagreeable 
fashion.  Colonel  Drew  knew  that  things  were 
somehow  wrong;  but  he  was  too  strongly  an 
American  father  to  interfere  in  a  matter  of  the 
affections.  It  distressed  him,  for  he  had  a 
liking  for  Monty,  and  Barbara's  "society 
judgments,"  as  he  called  them,  had  no  weight 


THE  PRODIGAL  A  T  SEA  169 

with  him.  When  he  found  himself  confronted 
with  Brewster  in  the  elevator,  the  old  warmth 
revived  and  the  old  hope  that  the  quarrel 
might  have  an  end.  His  greeting  was  cheery. 

"You  have  not  forgotten,  Brewster,"  he  said, 
as  they  shook  hands,  "that  you  have  a  dollar 
or  two  with  us?" 

"No,"  said  Monty,  "not  exactly.  And  I 
shall  be  calling  upon  you  for  some  of  it  very 
soon.  I'm  off  on  Thursday  for  a  cruise  in  the 
Mediterranean." 

"I've  heard  something  of  it."  They  had 
reached  the  main  floor  and  Colonel  Drew  had 
drawn  his  companion  out  of  the  crowd  into  the 
rotunda.  "The  money  is  at  your  disposal  at 
any  moment  But  aren't  you  setting  a  pretty 
lively  pace,  my  boy?  You  know  I've  always 
liked  you,  and  I  knew  your  grandfather  rather 
well.  He  was  a  good  old  chap,  Monty,  and 
he  would  hate  to  see  you  make  ducks  and 
drakes  of  his  fortune." 

There  was  something  in  the  Colonel's  man 
ner  that  softened  Brewster,  much  as  he  hated 
to  take  a  reproof  from  Barbara's  father.  Once 
again  he  was  tempted  to  tell  the  truth,  but  he 
pulled  himself  up  in  time.  "It's  a  funny  old 
world,  Colonel,"  he  said;  "and  sometimes 
one's  nearest  friend  is  a  stranger.  I  know  I 


170  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

seem  a  fool;  but,  after  all,  why  isn't  it  good 
philosophy  to  make  the  most  of  a  holiday  and 
then  settle  back  to  work?" 

"That  is  all  very  well,  Monty,"  and  Colonel 
Drew  was  entirely  serious;  "but  the  work  is  a 
hundred  times  harder  after  you  have  played 
to  the  limit.  You'll  find  that  you  are  way 
beyond  it.  It's  no  joke  getting  back  into  the 
harness." 

"Perhaps  you  are  right,  Colonel,  but  at  least 
I  shall  have  something  to  look  back  upon — 
even  if  the  worst  comes. "  And  Monty  instinct 
ively  straightened  his  shoulders. 

They  turned  to  leave  the  building,  and  the 
Colonel  had  a  moment  of  weakness. 

"Do  you  know,  Monty,"  he  said,  "my 
daughter  is  awfully  cut  up  about  this  business. 
She  is  plucky  and  tries  not  to  show  it,  but  after 
all  a  girl  doesn't  get  over  that  sort  of  thing  all 
in  a  moment.  I  am  not  saying" — it  seemed  nec 
essary  to  recede  a  step — "that  it  would  bean 
easy  matter  to  patch  up.  But  I  like  you, 
Monty,  and  if  any  man  could  do  it,  you  can." 

"Colonel,  I  wish  I  might,"  and  Brewster 
found  that  he  did  not  hesitate.  "For  your 
sake  I  very  much  wish  the  situation  were  as 
simple  as  it  seems.  But  there  are  some  things 
a  man  can't  forget,  and — well — Barbara  has 


THE  PRODIGAL  A  T  SEA  171 

shown  in  a  dozen  ways  that  she  has  no  faith 
in  me." 

"Well,  I've  got  faith  in  you,  and  a  lot  of  it. 
Take  care  of  yourself,  and  when  you  get  back 
you  can  count  on  me.  Good-bye." 

On  Thursday  morning  the  "Flitter"  steamed 
off  down  the  bay,  and  the  flight  of  the  prodigal 
grandson  was  on.  No  swifter,  cleaner,,  hand 
somer  boat  ever  sailed  out  of  the  harbor  of 
New  York,  and  it  was  a  merry  crowd  that  she 
carried  out  to  sea.  Brewster's  guests  num 
bered  twenty-five,  and  they  brought  with  them 
a  liberal  supply  of  maids,  valets,  and  luggage. 
It  was  not  until  many  weeks  later  that  he  read 
the  vivid  descriptions  of  the  weighing  of  the 
anchor  which  were  printed  in  the  New  York 
papers,  but  by  that  time  he  was  impervious  to 
their  ridicule. 

On  deck,  watching  the  rugged  silhouette  of 
the  city  disappear  into  the  mists,  were  Dan 
DeMille  and  Mrs.  Dan,  Peggy  Gray,  "Rip" 
Van  Winkle,  Reginald  Vanderpool,  Joe  Brag- 
don,  Dr.  Lotless  and  his  sister  Isabel,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Valentine  —  the  official  chaperon  —  and 
their  daughter  Mary,  "Subway"  Smith,  Paul 
Pettingill,  and  some  others  hardly  less  dis 
tinguished.  As  Monty  looked  over  the  eager 
crowd,  he  recognized  with  a  peculiar  glow  that 


172  JBREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

here  were  represented  his  best  and  truest 
friendships.  The  loyalty  of  these  companions 
had  been  tested,  and  he  knew  that  they  would 
stand  by  him  through  everything. 

There  was  no  little  surprise  when  it  was 
learned  that  Dan  DeMille  was  really  to  sail. 
Many  of  the  idle  voyagers  ventured  the  opinion 
that  he  would  try  to  desert  the  boat  in  mid- 
ocean  if  he  saw  a  chance  to  get  back  to  his 
club  on  a  west-bound  steamer.  But  DeMille, 
big,  indolent,  and  indifferent,  smiled  care 
lessly,  and  hoped  he  wouldn't  bother  anybody 
if  he  "stuck  to  the  ship"  until  the  end. 

For  a  time  the  sea  and  the  sky  and  the  talk 
of  the  crowd  were  enough  for  the  joy  of  living. 
But  after  a  few  peaceful  days  there  was  a  lull, 
and  it  was  then  that  Monty  gained  the  nick 
name  of  Aladdin,  which  clung  to  him.  From 
somewhere,  from  the  hold  or  the  rigging  or 
from  under  the  sea,  he  brought  forth  four 
darkies  from  the  south  who  strummed  guitars 
and  sang  ragtime  melodies.  More  than  once 
during  the  voyage  they  were  useful. 

"Peggy,"  said  Brewster  one  day,  when  the 
sky  was  particularly  clear  and  things  were 
quiet  on  deck,  "on  the  whole  I  prefer  this  to 
crossing  the  North  River  on  a  ferry.  I  rather 
like  it,  don't  you?" 


THE  PRODIGAL  A  T  SEA  173 

"It  seems  like  a  dream,"  she  cried,  her  eyes 
bright,  her  hair  blowing  in  the  wind. 

"And,  Peggy,  do  you  know  what  I  tucked 
away  in  a  chest  down  in  my  cabin?  A  lot  of 
books  that  you  like — some  from  the  old  garret. 
I've  saved  them  to  read  on  rainy  days." 

Peggy  did  not  speak,  but  the  blood  began  to 
creep  into  her  face  and  she  looked  wistfully 
across  the  water.  Then  she  smiled. 

"I  didn't  know  you  could  save  anything," 
she  said,  weakly. 

"Come  now,  Peggy,  that  is  too  much." 

"I  didn't  mean  to  hurt  you.  But  you  must 
not  forget,  Monty,  that  there  are  other  years 
to  follow  this  one.  Do  you  know  what  I 
mean?" 

"Peggy,  dear,  please  don't  lecture  me,"  he 
begged,  so  piteously  that  she  could  not  be 
serious. 

"The  class  is  dismissed  for  to-day,  Monty," 
she  said,  airily.  "But  the  professor  knows  his 
duty  and  won't  let  you  off  so  easily  next  time. " 


CHAPTER  XIX 

ONE  HERO  AND  ANOTHER 

At  Gibraltar,  Monty  was  handed  an  ominous- 
looking  cablegram  which  he  opened  trem 
blingly. 

To  MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER, 

Private  Yacht  Flitter,  Gibraltar. 

There  is  an  agitation  to  declare  for  free  silver.  You 
may  have  twice  as  much  to  spend.  Hooray. 

JONES. 

To  which  Monty  responded: 

Defeat  the  measure  at  any  cost.     The  more  the  mer 
rier,  and  charge  it  to  me.  BREWSTER. 
P.  S.     Please  send  many  cables  and  mark  them  collect. 

The  Riviera  season  was  fast  closing,  and  the 
possibilities  suggested  by  Monte  Carlo  were 
too  alluring  to  the  host  to  admit  of  a  long  stop 
at  Gibraltar.  But  the  DeMilles  had  letters  to 
one  of  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  and  Brew- 
ster  could  not  overlook  the  opportunity  to  give 
an  elaborate  dinner.  The  success  of  the  affair 
may  best  be  judged  by  the  fact  that  the  "Flit- 
ter's"  larder  required  an  entirely  new  stock  the 
next  day.  The  officers  and  ladies  of  the  garri- 
174 


ONE  HERO  AND  ANOTHER  175 

son  were  asked,  and  Monty  would  have  enter 
tained  the  entire  regiment  with  beer  and  sand 
wiches  if  his  friends  had  not  interfered. 

"It  might  cement  the  Anglo-American 
alliance,"  argued  Gardner,  "but  your  pocket- 
book  needs  cementing  a  bit  more." 

Yet  the  pocket-book  was  very  wide  open, 
and  Gardner's  only  consolation  lay  in  a  tall 
English  girl  whom  he  took  out  to  dinner.  For 
the  others  there  were  many  compensations,  as 
the  affair  was  brilliant  and  the  new  element  a 
pleasant  relief  from  the  inevitable  monotony. 

It  was  after  the  guests  had  gone  ashore  that 
Monty  discovered  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dan  holding  a 
tete-a-tete  in  the  stern  of  the  boat. 

"I  am  sorry  to  break  this  up,"  he  inter 
rupted,  "but  as  the  only  conscientious  chap 
eron  in  the  party,  I  must  warn  you  that  your 
behavior  is  already  being  talked  about.  The 
idea  of  a  sedate  old  married  couple  sitting  out 
here  alone  watching  thejnoon!  It's  shocking." 

"I  yield  to  the  host,"  said  Dan,  mockingly. 
"But  I  shall  be  consumed  with  jealousy  until 
you  restore  her  to  me." 

Monty  noticed  the  look  in  Mrs.  Dan's  eyes 
as  she  watched  her  husband  go,  and  marked  a 
new  note  in  her  voice  as  she  said,  "How  this 
trip  is  bringing  him  out." 


176  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"He  has  just  discovered,"  Monty  observed, 
"that  the  club  is  not  the  only  place  in  the 
world." 

"It's  a  funny  thing,"  she  answered,  "that 
Dan  should  have  been  so  misunderstood.  Do 
you  know  that  he  relentlessly  conceals  his  best 
side?  Down  underneath  he  is  the  kind  of  man 
who  could  do  a  fine  thing  very  simply." 

"My  dear  Mrs.  Dan,  you  surprise  me.  It 
looks  to  me  almost  as  though  you  had  fallen  in 
love  with  Dan  yourself. " 

"Monty,"  she  said,  sharply,  "you  are  as 
blind  as  the  rest.  Have  you  never  seen  that 
before?  I  have  played  many  games,  but  I 
have  always  come  back  to  Dan.  Through 
them  all  I  have  known  that  he  was  the  only 
thing  possible  to  me — the  only  thing  in  the 
least  desirable.  It's  a  queer  muddle  that  one 
should  be  tempted  to  play  with  fire  even  when 
one  is  monotonously  happy.  I've  been  singed 
once  or  twice.  But  Dan  is  a  dear  and  he  has 
always  helped  me  out  of  a  tight  place.  He 
knows.  No  one  understands  better  than  Dan. 
And  perhaps  if  I  were  less  wickedly  human, 
he  would  not  care  for  me  so  much." 

Monty  listened  at  first  in  a  sort  of  daze,  for 
he  had  unthinkingly  accepted  the  general  opin 
ion  of  the  DeMille  situation.  But  there  were 


ONE  HERO  AND  ANOTHER  177 

tears  in  her  eyes  for  a  moment,  and  the  tone  of 
her  voice  was  convincing.  It  came  to  him  with 
unpleasant  distinctness  that  he  had  been  all 
kinds  of  a  fool.  Looking  back  over  his  inter 
course  with  her,  he  realized  that  the  situation 
had  been  clear  enough  all  the  time. 

"How  little  we  know  our  friends!"  he 
exclaimed,  with  some  bitterness.  And  a 
moment  later,  "I've  liked  you  a  great  deal 
Mrs.  Dan,  for  a  long  time,  but  to-night — well, 
to-night  I  am  jealous  of  Dan." 

The  "Flitter"  saw  some  rough  weather  in 
making  the  trip  across  the  Bay  of  Lyons.  She 
was  heading  for  Nice  when  an  incident  occurred 
that  created  the  first  real  excitement  experi 
enced  on  the  voyage.  A  group  of  passengers 
in  the  main  saloon  was  discussing,  more 
or  less  stealthily,  Monty's  "misdemeanors," 
when  Reggy  Vanderpool  sauntered  lazily  in, 
his  face  displaying  the  only  sign  of  interest  it 
had  shown  in  days. 

"Funny  predicament  I  was  just  in,"  he 
drawled.  "I  want  to  ask  what  a  fellow  should 
have  done  under  the  circumstances." 

"I'd  have  refused  the  girl,"  observed  "Rip" 
Van  Winkle,  laconically. 

"Girl  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  old  chap," 
went  on  Reggy,  dropping  into  a  chair.  "Fel- 


178  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

low  fell  overboard  a  little  while  ago,"  he  went 
on,  calmly.  There  was  a  chorus  of  cries  and 
Brewster  was  forgotten  for  a  time.  "One  of 
the  sailors,  you  know.  He  was  doing  some 
thing  in  the  rigging  near  where  I  was  standing. 
Puff!  off  he  went  into  the  sea,  and  there  he 
was  puttering  around  in  the  water." 

"Oh,  the  poor  fellow,"  cried  Miss  Valentine. 

"I'd  never  set  eyes  on  him  before — perfect 
stranger.  I  wouldn't  have  hesitated  a  minute, 
but  the  deck  was  crowded  with  a  lot  of  his 
friends.  One  chap  was  his  bunkie.  So,  really 
now,  it  wasn't  my  place  to  jump  in  after  him. 
He  could  swim  a  bit,  and  I  yelled  to  him  to 
hold  up  and  I'd  tell  the  captain.  Confounded 
captain  wasn't  to  be  found  though.  Some 
body  said  he  was  asleep.  In  the  end  I  told  the 
mate.  By  this  time  we  were  a  mile  away  from 
the  place  where  he  went  overboard,  and  I  told 
the  mate  I  didn't  think  we  could  find  him  if 
we  went  back.  But  he  lowered  some  boats 
and  they  put  back  fast.  Afterwards  I  got  to 
thinking  about  the  matter.  Of  course  if  I  had 
known  him — if  he  had  been  one  of  you — it 
would  have  been  different." 

"And  you  were  the  best  swimmer  in  college, 
you  miserable  rat,"  exploded  Dr.  Lotless. 

There  was  a  wild  rush   for  the  upper  deck, 


ONE  HERO  AND  ANOTHER  179 

and  Vanderpool  was  not  the  hero  of  the  hour. 
The  "Flitter"  had  turned  and  was  steaming 
back  over  her  course.  Two  small  boats  were 
racing  to  the  place  where  Reggy's  unknown 
had  gone  over. 

"Where  is  Brewster?"  shouted  Joe  Bragdon. 

"I  can't  find  him,  sir,"  answered  the  first 
mate. 

"He  ought  to  know  of  this,"  cried  Mr.  Val 
entine. 

"There!  By  the  eternal,  they  are  picking 
somebody  up  over  yonder,"  exclaimed  the 
mate.  "See!  that  first  boat  has  laid  to  and 
they  are  dragging — yes,  sir,  he's  saved!" 

A  cheer  went  up  on  board  and  the  men  in 
the  small  boats  waved  their  caps  in  response. 
Everybody  rushed  to  the  rail  as  the  "Flitter" 
drew  up  to  the  boats,  and  there  was  intense 
excitement  on  board.  A  gasp  of  amazement 
went  up  from  every  one. 

Monty  Brewster,  drenched  but  smiling,  sat 
in  one  of  the  boats,  and  leaning  limply  against 
him,  his  head  on  his  chest,  was  the  sailor  who 
had  fallen  overboard.  Brewster  had  seen  the 
man  in  the  water  and,  instead  of  wondering 
what  his  antecedents  were,  leaped  to  his  assist 
ance.  When  the  boat  reached  him  his  uncon 
scious  burden  was  a  dead  weight  and  his  own 


180  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

strength  was  almost  gone.  Another  minute  or 
two  and  both  would  have  gone  to  the  bottom. 

As  they  hauled  Monty  over  the  side  he  shiv 
ered  for  an  instant,  grasped  the  first  little  hand 
that  sought  his  so  frantically,  and  then  turned 
to  look  upon  the  half-dead  sailor. 

"Find  out  that  boy's  name,  Mr.  Abertz,  and 
see  that  he  has  the  best  of  care.  Just  before 
he  fainted  out  there  he  murmured  something 
about  his  mother.  He  wasn't  thinking  of  him 
self  even  then,  you  see.  And  Bragdon" — this 
in  a  lower  voice — "will  you  see  that  his  wages 
are  properly  increased?  Hello,  Peggy!  Look 
out,  you'll  get  wet  to  the  skin  if  you  do  that." 


CHAPTER  XX 

LE  ROI  S' AMUSE 

If  Montgomery  Brewster  had  had  any  mis 
givings  about  his  ability  to  dispose  of  the 
balance  of  his  fortune  they  were  dispelled 
very  soon  after  his  party  landed  in  the  Riviera. 
On  the  pretext  that  the  yacht  required  a 
thorough  "house  cleaning"  Brewster  trans 
ferred  his  guests  to  the  hotel  of  a  fascinating 
village  which  was  near  the  sea  and  yet  quite 
out  of  the  world.  The  place  was  nearly  empty 
at  the  time  and  the  proprietor  wept  tears  of 
joy  when  Monty  engaged  for  his  party  the 
entire  first  floor  of  the  house  with  balconies 
overlooking  the  blue  Mediterranean  and  a  sep 
arate  dining-room  and  salon.  Extra  servants 
were  summoned,  and  the  Brewster  livery  was 
soon  a  familiar  sight  about  the  village.  The 
protests  of  Peggy  and  the  others  were  only 
silenced  when  Monty  threatened  to  rent  a  villa 
and  go  to  housekeeping. 

The  town  quickly  took  on  the  appearance  of 
entertaining  a  royal  visitor,  and  a  number  of 
shops  were  kept  open  longer  than  usual  in  the 


181 


182  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

hope  that  their  owners  might  catch  some  of 
the  American's  money.  One  morning  Phi 
lippe,  the  hotel  proprietor,  was  trying  to 
impress  Brewster  with  a  gesticulatory  descrip 
tion  of  the  glories  of  the  Bataille  de  Fleurs. 
It  seemed  quite  impossible  to  express  the 
extent  of  his  regret  that  the  party  had  not 
arrived  in  time  to  see  it. 

"This  is  quite  another  place  at  that  time," 
he  said  ecstatically.  "C'est  magnifique!  c'est 
superbe!  If  monsieur  had  only  seen  it!" 

"Why  not  have  another  all  to  ourselves?" 
asked  Monty.  But  the  suggestion  was  not 
taken  seriously. 

Nevertheless  the  young  American  and  his 
host  were  in  secret  session  for  the  rest  of  the 
morning,  and  when  the  result  was  announced  at 
luncheon  there  was  general  consternation.  It 
appeared  that  ten  days  later  occurred  the 
fete  day  of  some  minor  saint  who  had  not  for 
years  been  accorded  the  honor  of  a  celebration. 
Monty  proposed  to  revive  the  custom  by 
arranging  a  second  carnival. 

"You  might  just  as  well  not  come  to  the 
Riviera  at  all,"  he  explained,  "if  you  can't  see 
a  carnival.  It's  a  simple  matter,  really.  I 
offer  one  prize  for  the  best  decorated  carriage 
and  another  to  the  handsomest  lady.  Then 


LE  ROI  S' AMUSE  183 

everyone  puts  on  a  domino  and  a  mask,  throws 
confetti  at  everyone  else,  and  there  you  are." 

"I  suppose  you  will  have  the  confetti  made 
of  thousand  franc  notes,  and  offer  a  house  and 
lot  as  a  prize."  And  Bragdon  feared  that  his 
sarcasm  was  almost  insulting. 

"Really,  Monty,  the  scheme  is  ridiculous," 
said  DeMillc,  "the  police  won't  allow  it." 

"Won't  they  though!"  said  Monty,  exult 
antly.  "The  chief  happens  to  be  Philippe's 
brother-in-law,  and  we  had  him  on  the  tele 
phone.  He  wouldn't  listen  to  the  scheme  until 
we  agreed  to  make  him  grand  marshal  of  the 
parade.  Then  he  promised  the  cooperation  of 
the  entire  force  and  hoped  to  interest  his  col 
league,  the  chief  of  the  fire  department." 

"The  parade  will  consist  of  two  gendarmes 
and  the  Brewster  party  in  carriages,"  laughed 
Mrs.  Dan.  "Do  you  expect  us  to  go  before  or 
after  the  bakery  carts?" 

"We  review  the  procession  from  the  hotel," 
said  Monty.  "You  needn't  worry  about  the 
fete.  It's  going  to  be  great.  Why,  an  Irish 
man  isn't  fonder  of  marching  than  these  peo 
ple  are  of  having  a  carnival." 

The  men  in  the  party  went  into  executive 
session  as  soon  as  Monty  had  gone  to  inter 
view  the  local  authorities,  and  seriously  con- 


184  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

sidered  taking  measures  to  subdue  their  host's 
eccentricities.  But  the  humor  of  the  scheme 
appealed  to  them  too  forcibly,  and  almost 
before  they  knew  it  they  were  making  plans 
for  the  carnival. 

"Of  course  we  can't  let  him  do  it,  but  it 
would  be  sport,"  said  "Subway"  Smith. 
"Think  of  a  cake-walk  between  gendarmes  and 
blanchiseuses." 

"I  always  feel  devilish  the  moment  I  get  a 
mask  on,"  said  Vanderpool,  "and  you  know, 
by  Jove,  I  haven't  felt  that  way  for  years." 

"That  settles  it,  then,"  said  DeMille. 
"Monty  would  call  it  off  himself  if  he  knew 
how  it  would  affect  Reggie." 

Monty  returned  with  the  announcement  that 
the  mayor  of  the  town  would  declare  a  holiday 
if  the  American  could  see  his  way  to  pay  for 
the  repairs  on  the  mairie  roof.  A  circus, 
which  was  traveling  in  the  neighborhood,  was 
guaranteed  expenses  if  it  would  stop  over  and 
occupy  the  square  in  front  of  the  Hotel  de 
Ville.  Brewster's  enthusiasm  was  such  that 
no  one  could  resist  helping  him,  and  for  nearly 
a  week  his  friends  were  occupied  in  superin 
tending  the  erection  of  triumphal  arches  and 
encouraging  the  shopkeepers  to  do  their  best. 
Although  the  scheme  had  been  conceived  in 


LE  ROI  S' A  MUSE  185 

the  spirit  of  a  lark  it  was  not  so  received  by 
the  townspeople.  They  were  quite  serious  in 
the  matter.  The  railroad  officials  sent  adver 
tisements  broadcast,  and  the  local  cure  called 
to  thank  Brewster  for  resurrecting,  as  it  were, 
the  obscure  saint.  The  expression  of  his  grat 
itude  was  so  mingled  with  flattery  and  appeal 
that  Monty  could  not  overlook  the  hint  that 
a  new  altar  piece  had  long  been  needed. 

The  great  day  finally  arrived,  and  no  carnival 
could  have  been  more  bizarre  or  more  success 
ful.  The  morning  was  devoted  to  athletics  and 
the  side  shows.  The  pompiers  won  the  tug  of 
war,  and  the  people  marveled  when  Monty 
duplicated  the  feats  of  the  strong  man  in  the 
circus.  DeMille  was  called  upon  for  a  speech, 
but  knowing  only  ten  words  of  French,  he 
graciously  retired  in  favor  of  the  mayor,  and 
that  pompous  little  man  made  the  most  of  a 
rare  opportunity.  References  to  Franklin  and 
Lafayette  were  so  frequent  that  "Subway" 
Smith  intimated  that  a  rubber  stamp  must  have 
been  used  in  writing  the  address. 

The  parade  took  place  in  the  afternoon,  and 
proved  quite  the  feature  of  the  day.  The  ques 
tion  of  precedence  nearly  overturned  Monty's 
plans,  but  the  chief  of  police  was  finally  made 
to  see  that  if  he  were  to  be  chief  marshal  it 


186  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

was  only  fair  that  the  pompiers  should  march 
ahead  of  the  gendarmes.  The  crew  of  the 
"Flitter"  made  a  wonderful  showing.  It  was 
led  by  the  yacht's  band,  which  fairly  outdid 
Sousa  in  noise,  though  it  was  less  unanimous 
in  the  matter  of  time.  All  the  fiacres  came  at 
the  end,  but  there  were  so  many  of  them  and 
the  line  of  march  was  so  short  that  at  times 
they  were  really  leading  the  procession  despite 
the  gallant  efforts  of  the  grand  marshal. 

From  the  balcony  of  the  hotel  Monty  and  his 
party  pelted  those  below  with  flowers  and  con 
fetti.  More  allusions  to  Franklin  and  Lafay 
ette  were  made  when  the  cure  and  the  mayor 
halted  the  procession  and  presented  Monty 
with  an  address  richly  engrossed  on  imitation 
parchment.  Then  the  school  children  sang 
and  the  crowd  dispersed  to  meet  again  in  the 
evening. 

At  eight  o'clock  Brewster  presided  over  a 
large  banquet,  and  numbered  among  his  guests 
everyone  of  distinction  in  the  town.  The 
wives  were  also  invited  and  Franklin  and 
Lafayette  were  again  alluded  to.  Each  of  the 
men  made  at  least  one  speech,  but  "Subway" 
Smith's  third  address  was  the  hit  of  the  even 
ing.  Knowing  nothing  but  English  he  had 
previously  clung  consistently  to  that  language, 


LE  ROI  S' A  MUSE  187 

but  the  third  and  final  address  seemed  to 
demand  something  more  friendly  and  genial. 
With  a  sweeping  bow  and  with  all  the  dignity 
of  a  statesman  he  began: 

"Mesdames  -et  Messieurs:  J'ai,  tu  as,  il  a, 
nous  avons, "  —  with  a  magnificent  gesture, 
"vous  avez. "  The  French  members  of  the 
company  were  not  equal  to  his  pronunciation 
and  were  under  the  impression  that  he  was 
still  talking  English.  They  were  profoundly 
impressed  with  his  deference  and  grace  and 
accorded  his  preamble  a  round  of  applause. 
The  Americans  did  their  utmost  to  persuade 
him  to  be  seated,  but  their  uproar  was  mis 
taken  by  the  others  for  enthusiasm,  and  the 
applause  grew  louder  than  ever.  "Subway" 
held  up  his  hand  for  silence,  and  his  manner 
suggested  that  he  was  about  to  utter  some 
peculiarly  important  thought.  He  waited  until 
a  pin  fall  could  have  been  heard  before  he 
went  on. 

"Maitre  corbeau  sur  un  arbre  perche — " 
he  finished  the  speech  as  he  was  being  carried 
bodily  from  the  room  by  DeMille  and  Brag- 
don.  The  Frenchmen  then  imagined  that 
Smith's  remarks  had  been  insulting,  and  his 
friends  had  silenced  him  on  that  account.  A 
riot  seemed  imminent  when  Monty  succeeded 


188  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

in  restoring  silence,  and  with  a  few  tactful 
remarks  about  Franklin  and  Lafayette  quieted 
the  excited  guests. 

The  evening  ended  with  fireworks  and  a 
dance  in  the  open  air, — a  dance  that  grew  gay 
under  the  masks.  The  wheels  had  been  well 
oiled  and  there  was  no  visible  failure  of  the 
carnival  spirit.  To  Brewster  it  seemed  a  mad 
game,  and  he  found  it  less  easy  to  play  a  part 
behind  the  foolish  mask  than  he  expected.  His 
own  friends  seemed  to  elude  him,  and  the 
coquetries  of  the  village  damsels  had  merely  a 
fleeting  charm.  He  was  standing  apart  to 
watch  the  glimmering  crowd  when  he  was 
startled  by  a  smothered  cry.  Turning  to  inves 
tigate,  he  discovered  a  little  red  domino, 
unmistakably  frightened,  and  trying  to  release 
herself  from  a  too  ardent  Punchinello.  Monty's 
arrival  prevented  him  from  tearing  off  the  girl's 
mask  and  gave  him  an  entirely  new  conception 
of  the  strenuous  life.  He  arose  fuming  and 
sputtering,  but  he  was  taken  in  hand  by  the 
crowd  and  whirled  from  one  to  another  in 
whimsical  mockery.  Meanwhile  Monty,  un 
conscious  that  his  mask  had  dropped  during 
the  encounter,  was  astonished  to  feel  the  little 
hand  of  the  red  domino  on  his  arm  and  to  hear 
a  voice  not  all  unfamiliar  in  his  ear. 


LE  ROI  S A  MUSE  189 

"Monty,  you  are  a  dear.  I  love  you  for  that. 
You  looked  like  a  Greek  athlete.  Do  you  know 
— it  was  foolish — but  I  really  was  frightened." 

"Child,  how  could  it  have  happened?"  he 
whispered,  leading  her  away.  "Fancy  my  little 
Peggy  with  no  one  to  look  after  her.  What 
a  beast  I  was  to  trust  you  to  Pettingill.  I  might 
have  known  the  chump  would  have  been 
knocked  out  by  all  this  color."  He  stopped 
to  look  down  at  her  and  a  light  came  into  his 
eyes.  "Little  Peggy  in  the  great  world,"  he 
smiled;  "you  are  not  fit.  You  need — well,  you 
need — just  me." 

But  Mrs.  Valentine  had  seen  him  as  he  stood 
revealed,  and  came  up  in  search  of  Peggy.  It 
was  almost  morning,  she  told  her,  and  quite 
time  to  go  back  to  the  hotel  and  sleep.  So  in 
Bragdon's  charge  they  wandered  off,  a  bit 
reluctantly,  a  bit  lingeringly. 

It  was  not  until  Monty  was  summoned  to 
rescue  "Reggie"  Vanderpool  from  the  stern 
arm  of  the  law  that  he  dicovered  the  identity 
of  Punchinello.  Manifestly  he  had  not  been 
in  a  condition  to  recognize  his  assailant,  and  a 
subsequent  disagreement  had  driven  the  first 
out  of  his  head.  The  poor  boy  was  sadly 
bruised  about  the  face  and  his  arrest  had  prob 
ably  saved  him  from  worse  punishment. 


190  £  RE  ULSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"I  told  you  I  couldn't  wear  a  mask,"  he 
explained  ruefully  as  Monty  led  him  home. 
"But  how  could  I  know  that  he  could  hear  me 
all  the  time?" 

The  day  after  the  carnival  Brewster  drove  his 
guests  over  to  Monte  Carlo.  He  meant  to  stay 
only  long  enough  to  try  his  luck  at  the  tables  and 
lose  enough  to  make  up  for  the  days  at  sea 
when  his  purse  was  necessarily  idle.  Swearen- 
gen  Jones  was  forgotten,  and  soon  after  his 
arrival  he  began  to  plunge.  At  first  he  lost 
heavily,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  he 
concealed  his  joy.  Peggy  Gray  was  watching 
him,  and  in  whispers  implored  him  to  stop, 
but  Mrs.  Dan  excitedly  urged  him  to  continue 
until  the  luck  changed.  To  the  girl's  chagrin 
it  was  the  more  reckless  advice  that  he  fol 
lowed.  In  so  desperate  a  situation  he  felt  that 
he'  could  not  stop.  But  his  luck  turned  too 
soon. 

"I  can't  afford  to  give  up,"  he  said,  miser 
ably,  to  himself,  after  a  time.  "I'm  already  a 
winner  by  five  thousand  dollars,  and  I  must  at 
least  get  rid  of  that." 

Brewster  became  the  center  of  interest  to 
those  who  were  not  playing  and  people  mar 
veled  at  his  luck.  They  quite  misinterpreted 
his  eagerness  and  the  flushed  anxious  look  with 


LE  ROI  SAM  USE  191 

which  he  followed  each  spin  of  the  wheel.  He 
had  chosen  a  seat  beside  an  English  duchess 
whose  practice  it  was  to  appropriate  the  win 
nings  of  the  more  inexperienced  players,  and 
he  was  aware  that  many  of  his  gold  pieces 
were  being  deliberately  stolen.  Here  he 
thought  was  at  least  a  helping  hand,  and  he 
was  on  the  point  of  moving  his  stack  toward 
her  side  when  DeMille  interfered.  He  had 
watched  the  duchess,  and  had  called  the 
croupier's  attention  to  her  neat  little  method. 
But  that  austere  individual  silenced  him  by 
saying  in  surprise,  "Mais  c'est  madame  la 
duchesse,  que  voulez-vous?" 

Not  to  be  downed  so  easily,  DeMille 
watched  the  play  from  behind  Monty's  chair 
and  cautioned  his  friend  at  the  first  oppor 
tunity. 

"Better  cash  in  and  change  your  seat, 
Monty.  They're  robbing  you,"  he  whispered. 

"Cash  in  when  I'm  away  ahead  of  the  game? 
Never!"  and  Monty  did  his  best  to  assume 
a  joyful  tone. 

At  first  he  played  with  no  effort  at  system, 
piling  his  money  flat  on  the  numbers  which 
seemed  to  have  least  chance  of  winning,  but 
he  simply  could  not  lose.  Then  he  tried  to 
reverse  different  systems  he  had  heard  of,  but 


192  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

they  turned  out  to  be  winners.  Finally  in 
desperation  he  began  doubling  on  one  color  in 
the  hope  that  he  would  surely  lose  in  the  end, 
but  his  particular  fate  was  against  him.  With 
his  entire  stake  on  the  red  the  ball  continued 
to  fall  in  the  red  holes  until  the  croupier 
announced  that  the  bank  was  broken. 

Dan  DeMille  gathered  in  the  money  and 
counted  forty  thousand  dollars  before  he 
handed  it  to  Monty.  His  friends  were  over 
joyed  when  he  left  the  table,  and  wondered  why 
he  looked  so  downhearted.  Inwardly  he 
berated  himself  for  not  taking  Peggy's  advice. 

"I'm  so  glad  for  your  sake  that  you  did  not 
stop  when  I  asked  you,  Monty,  but  your  luck 
does  not  change  my  belief  that  gambling  is 
next  to  stealing,"  Peggy  was  constrained  to 
say  as  they  went  to  supper. 

"I  wish  I  had  taken  your  advice,"  he  said 
gloomily. 

"And  missed  the  fortune  you  have  won? 
How  foolish  of  you,  Monty!  You  were  a  loser 
by  several  thousand  dollars  then,"  she 
objected  with  whimsical  inconsistency. 

"But,  Peggy,"  he  said  quietly,  looking  deep 
into  her  eyes,  "it  would  have  won  me  your 
respect." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

FAIRYLAND 

Monty's  situation  was  desperate.  Only  a 
little  more  than  six  thousand  dollars  had  been 
spent  on  the  carnival  and  no  opportunity  of 
annihilating  the  roulette  winnings  seemed  to 
offer  itself.  His  experience  at  Monte  Carlo 
did  not  encourage  him  to  try  again,  and  Peggy's 
attitude  toward  the  place  was  distinctly  antag 
onistic.  The  Riviera  presenting  no  new 
opportunities  for  extravagance,  it  became 
necessary  to  seek  other  worlds. 

"I  never  before  understood  the  real  meaning 
of  the  phrase  'tight  money,'  "  thought  Monty. 
"Lord,  if  it  would  only  loosen  a  bit  and  stay 
loosened."  Something  must  be  done,  he 
realized,  to  earn  his  living.  Perhaps  the  role 
of  the  princely  profligate  would  be  easier  in 
Italy  than  anywhere  else.  He  studied  the 
outlook  from  every  point  of  view,  but  there 
were  moments  when  it  seemed  hopeless. 
Baedeker  was  provokingly  barren  of  sug 
gestions  for  extravagance  and  Monty  grew 
impatient  of  the  book's  small  economies. 
Noticing  some  chapters  on  the  Italian  lakes,  in 
193 


194  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

an  inspired  moment  he  remembered  that 
Pettingill  had  once  lost  his  heart  to  a  villa  on 
the  Lake  of  Como.  Instantly  a  new  act  of  the 
comedy  presented  itself  to  him.  He  sought 
out  Pettingill  and  demanded  a  description  of 
his  castle  in  the  air. 

"Oh,  it's  a  wonder, "  exclaimed  the  artist,  and 
his  eyes  grew  dreamy.  "It  shines  out  at  you 
with  its  white  terraces  and  turrets  like  those 
fascinating  castles  that  Maxfield  Parrish  draws 
for  children.  It  is  fairyland.  You  expect  to 
wake  and  find  it  gone." 

"Oh,  drop  that,  Petty,"  said  Brewster,  "or  it 
will  make  you  poetical.  What  I  want  to  know 
is  who  owns  it  and  is  it  likely  to  be  occupied 
at  this  season?" 

"It  belongs  to  a  certain  marquise,  who  is  a 
widow  with  no  children.  They  say  she  has  a 
horror  of  the  place  for  some  reason  and  has 
never  been  near  it.  It  is  kept  as  though  she 
were  to  turn  up  the  next  day,  but  except  for 
the  servants  it  is  always  deserted." 

"The  very  thing,"  declared  Brewster; 
"Petty,  we'll  have  a  house-party." 

"You'd  better  not  count  on  that,  Monty. 
A  man  I  know  ran  across  the  place  once  and 
tried  for  a  year  to  buy  it.  But  the  lady  has 
ideas  of  her  own." 


FAIRYLAND  195 

"Well,  if  you  wish  to  give  him  a  hint  or  two 
about  how  to  do  things,  watch  me.  If  you 
don't  spend  two  weeks  in  your  dream-castle,  I 
will  cut  the  crowd  and  sail  for  home."  He 
secured  the  name  of  the  owner,  and  found 
that  Pettingill  had  even  a  remote  idea  of  the 
address  of  her  agent.  Armed  with  these  facts 
he  set  out  in  search  of  a  courier,  and  through 
Philippe  he  secured  a  Frenchman  named 
Bertier,  who  was  guaranteed  to  be  surprisingly 
ingenious  in  providing  methods  of  spending 
money.  To  him  Brewster  confided  his  scheme, 
and  Bertier  realized  with  rising  enthusiasm 
that  at  last  he  had  secured  a  client  after  his 
own  heart.  He  was  able  to  complete  the 
address  of  the  agent  of  the  mysterious  mar 
quise,  and  an  inquiry  was  immediately  tele 
graphed  to  him. 

The  agent's  reply  would  have  been  dis 
couraging  to  anyone  but  Brewster.  It  stated 
that  the  owner  had  no  intention  of  leasing  her 
forsaken  castle  for  any  period  whatever.  The 
profligate  learned  that  a  fair  price  for  an 
estate  of  that  kind  for  a  month  was  ten 
thousand  francs,  and  he  wired  an  offer  of  five 
times  that  sum  for  two  weeks.  The  agent 
replied  that  some  delay  would  be  necessary 
while  he  communicated  with  his  principal. 


196  BREWSTER' S  MILLIONS 

Delay  was  the  one  word  that  Brewster  did  not 
understand,  so  he  wired  him  an  address  in 
Genoa,  and  the  "Flitter"  was  made  ready  for 
sea.  Steam  had  been  kept  up,  and  her  coal 
account  would  compare  favorably  with  that  of 
an  ocean  liner.  Philippe  was  breathless  with 
joy  when  he  was  paid  in  advance  for  another 
month  at  the  hotel,  on  the  assumption  that 
the  party  might  be  moved  to  return  at  any 
moment.  The  little  town  was  gay  at  parting 
and  Brewster  and  his  guests  were  given  a  royal 
farewell. 

At  Genoa  the  mail  had  accumulated  and 
held  the  attention  of  the  yacht  to  the  exclusion 
of  everything  else.  Brewster  was  somewhat 
crestfallen  to  learn  that  the  lady  of  the  villa 
haughtily  refused  his  princely  offer.  He  won 
the  life-long  devotion  of  his  courier  by 
promptly  increasing  it  to  one  hundred  thou 
sand  francs.  When  this  too  met  with  rejection, 
there  was  a  pause  and  a  serious  consultation 
between  the  two. 

"Bertier, "  exclaimed  Brewster,  "I  must 
have  the  thing  now.  What's  to  be  done? 
You've  got  to  help  me  out." 

But  the  courier,  prodigal  as  he  was  of 
gestures,  had  no  words  which  seemed  pertinent. 

"There  must  be  some  way  of  getting  at  this 


FAIRYLAND  197 

marquise,"  Monty  continued  reflectively. 
"What  are  her  tastes?  Do  you  know  any 
thing  about  her?" 

Suddenly  the  face  of  the  courier  grew  bright. 
"I  have  it,"  he  said,  and  then  he  faltered. 
"But  the  expense,  monsieur — it  would  be 
heavy." 

"Perhaps  we  can  meet  it,"  suggested  Monty, 
quietly.  "What's  the  idea?" 

It  was  explained,  with  plenty  of  action  to 
make  it  clear.  The  courier  had  heard  in 
Florence  that  madame  la  marquise  had  a 
passion  for  automobiles.  But  with  her  inade 
quate  fortune  and  the  many  demands  upon  it, 
it  was  a  weakness  not  readily  gratified.  The 
machine  she  had  used  during  the  winter  was 
by  no  means  up-to-date.  Possibly  if  monsieur — 
yet  it  was  too  much — no  villa — 

But  Brewster's  decision  was  made.  "Wire 
the  fellow,"  he  said,  "that  I  will  add  to  my 
last  offer  a  French  machine  of  the  latest  model 
and  the  best  make.  Say,  too,  that  I  would 
like  immediate  possession." 

He  secured  it,  and  the  crowd  was  transferred 
at  once  to  fairyland.  There  were  protests,  of 
course,  but  these  Brewster  had  grown  to  expect 
and  he  was  learning  to  carry  things  with  a 
high  hand.  The  travelers  had  been  preceded 


198  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

by  Bertier,  and  the  greeting  they  received 
from  the  steward  of  the  estate  and  his  innumer 
able  assistants  was  very  Italian  and  full  of 
color.  A  break  in  their  monotony  was 
welcome. 

The  loveliness  of  the  villa  and  its  grounds, 
which  sloped  down  to  the  gentle  lake,  silenced 
criticism.  For  a  time  it  was  supremely  satisfy 
ing  to  do  nothing.  Pettingill  wandered  about 
as  though  he  could  not  believe  it  was  real. 
He  was  lost  in  a  kind  of  atmosphere  of  ecstasy. 
To  the  others,  who  took  it  more  calmly,  it  was 
still  a  sort  of  paradise.  Those  who  were 
happy  found  in  it  an  intensification  of  happi 
ness,  and  to  those  who  were  sad  it  offered  the 
tenderest  opportunities  for  melancholy.  Mrs. 
Dan  told  Brewster  that  only  a  poet  could  have 
had  this  inspiration.  And  Peggy  added, 
"Anything  after  this  would  be  an  anti-climax. 
Really,  Monty,  you  would  better  take  us  home.  " 

"I  feel  like  the  boy  who  was  shut  in  a  closet 
for  punishment  and  found  it  the  place  where 
they  kept  the  jam,"  said  "Subway."  "It  is 
almost  as  good  as  owning  Central  Park." 

The  stables  were  well  equipped  and  the 
days  wore  on  in  a  wonderful  peace.  It  was  on 
a  radiant  afternoon,  when  twelve  of  the  crowd 
had  started  out,  after  tea,  for  a  long  ride  toward 


FAIRYLAND  199 

Lugano,  that  Monty  determined  to  call  Peggy 
Gray  to  account.  He  was  certain  that  she  had 
deliberately  avoided  him  for  days  and  weeks, 
and  he  could  find  no  reason  for  it.  Hour  after 
hour  he  had  lain  awake  wondering  where  he 
had  failed  her,  but  the  conclusion  of  one 
moment  was  rejected  the  next.  The  Monte 
Carlo  episode  seemed  the  most  plausible  cause, 
yet  even  before  that  he  had  noticed  that  when 
ever  he  approached  her  she  managed  to  be 
talking  with  some  one  else.  Two  or  three 
times  he  was  sure  she  had  seen  his  intention 
before  she  took  refuge  with  Mrs.  Dan  or  Mary 
Valentine  or  Pettingill.  The  thought  of  the 
last  name  gave  Monty  a  sudden  thrill.  What 
if  it  were  he  who  had  come  between  them?  It 
troubled  him,  but  there  were  moments  when 
the  idea  seemed  impossible.  As  they  mounted 
and  started  off,  the  exhilaration  of  the  ride 
made  him  hopeful.  They  were  to  have  dinner 
in  the  open  air  in  the  shadow  of  an  abbey  ruin 
some  miles  away,  and  the  servants  had  been 
sent  ahead  to  prepare  it.  It  went  well,  and 
with  Mrs.  Dan's  help  the  dinner  was  made 
gay.  On  the  return  Monty  who  was  off  last 
spurred  up  his  horse  to  join  Feggy.  She 
seemed  eager  to  be  with  the  rest  and  he  lost 
no  time  with  a  preamble. 


200  SREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"Do  you  know,  Peggy,"  he  began,  "some 
thing  seems  to  be  wrong,  and  I  am  wondering 
what  it  is." 

"Why,  what  do  you  mean,  Monty?"  as  he 
paused. 

"Every  time  I  come  near  you,  child,  you 
seem  to  have  something  else  to  do.  If  I  join 
the  group  you  are  in,  it  is  the  signal  for  you 
to  break  away." 

"Nonsense,  Monty,  why  should  I  avoid  you? 
We  have  known  one  another  much  too  long 
for  that. "  But  he  thought  he  detected  some 
contradiction  in  her  eyes,  and  he  was  right. 
The  girl  was  afraid  of  him,  afraid  of  the  sensa 
tions  he  awoke,  afraid  desperately  of  betrayal. 

"Pettingill  may  appeal  to  you,"  he  said, 
and  his  voice  was  serious,  "but  you  might  at 
least  be  courteous  to  me." 

"How  absurd  you  are,  Monty  Brewster." 
The  girl  grew  hot.  "You  needn't  think  that 
your  million  gives  you  the  privilege  of  dicta 
ting  to  all  of  your  guests." 

"Peggy,  how  can  you,"  he  interjected. 
She  went  on   ruthlessly.       "If   my  conduct 
interferes  with  your  highness's  pleasure  I  can 
easily  join  the  Prestons  in  Paris." 

Suddenly  Brewster  remembered  that  Pet 
tingill  had  spoken  of  the  Prestons  and  expressed 


FAIRYLAND  201 

a  fleeting  wish  that  he  might  be  with  them  in 
the  Latin  Quarter.  "With  Pettingill  to  follow, 
I  suppose,"  he  said  icily.  "It  would  certainly 
give  you  more  privacy." 

"And  Mrs.  Dan  more  opportunities,"  she 
retorted  as  he  dropped  back  toward  the  others. 

The  artist  instantly  took  his  place.  The 
next  moment  he  had  challenged  her  to  a  race 
and  they  were  flying  down  the  road  in  the 
moonlight.  Brewster,  not  to  be  outdone,  was 
after  them,  but  it  was  only  a  moment  before 
his  horse  shied  violently  at  something  black 
in  the  road.  Then  he  saw  Peggy's  horse  gallop 
ing  riderless.  Instantly,  with  fear  at  his  throat, 
he  had  dismounted  and  was  at  the  girl's  side. 
She  was  not  hurt,  they  found,  only  bruised  and 
dazed  and  somewhat  lamed.  A  girth  had 
broken  and  her  saddle  turned.  The  crowd 
waited,  silent  and  somewhat  awed,  until  the 
carriage  with  the  servants  came  up  and  she 
was  put  into  it.  Mrs.  Dan's  maid  was  there 
and  Peggy  insisted  that  she  would  have  no  one 
else.  But  as  Monty  helped  her  in,  he  had 
whispered,  "You  won't  go,  child,  will  you? 
How  could  things  go  on  here?" 


CHAPTER  XXII 

PRINCE  AND  PEASANTS 

The  peacefulness  of  fairyland  was  something 
which  Brewster  could  not  afford  to  continue, 
and  with  Bertier  he  was  soon  planning  to 
invade  it.  The  automobile  which  he  was 
obliged  to  order  for  the  mysterious  marquise 
put  other  ideas  into  his  head.  It  seemed  at 
once  absolutely  necessary  to  give  a  coaching 
party  in  Italy,  and  as  coaches  of  the  right  kind 
were  hard  to  find  there,  and  changes  of  horses 
most  uncertain,  nothing  could  be  more  simple 
and  natural  than  to  import  automobiles  from 
Paris.  Looking  into  the  matter,  he  found 
that  they  would  have  to  be  purchased  outright, 
as  the  renting  of  five  machines  would  put  his 
credit  to  too  severe  a  test.  Accordingly 
Bertier  telegraphed  a  wholesale  order,  which 
taxed  the  resources  of  the  manufacturers  and 
caused  much  complaint  from  some  customers 
whose  work  was  unaccountably  delayed.  The 
arrangement  made  by  the  courier  was  that  they 
were  to  be  taken  back  at  a  greatly  reduced 
price  at  the  end  of  six  weeks.  The  machines 


PRINCE  AND  PEASANTS  203 

were  shipped  at  once,  five  to  Milan,  and  one  to 
the  address  of  the  mysterious  marquise  in 
Florence. 

It  was  with  a  sharp  regret  that  Monty  broke 
into  the  idyl  of  the  villa,  for  the  witchery  of 
the  place  had  got  into  his  blood.  But  a  stern 
sense  of  duty,  combined  with  the  fact  that  the 
Paris  chauffeurs  and  machines  were  due  in 
Milan  on  Monday,  made  him  ruthless.  He 
was  astonished  that  his  orders  to  decamp  were 
so  meekly  obeyed,  forgetting  that  his  solicitous 
guests  did  not  know  that  worse  extravagance 
lay  beyond.  He  took  them  to  Milan  by  train 
and  lodged  them  with  some  splendor  at  the 
Hotel  Cavour.  Here  he  found  that  the  fame 
of  the  princely  profligate  had  preceded  him, 
and  his  portly  host  was  all  deference  and 
attention.  All  regret,  too,  for  monsieur  was 
just  too  late  to  hear  the  wonderful  company  of 
artists  who  had  been  singing  at  La  Scala.  The 
season  was  but  just  ended.  Here  was  an 
opportunity  missed  indeed,  and  Brewster's 
vexation  brought  out  an  ironical  comment  to 
Bertier.  It  rankled,  but  it  had  its  effect.  The 
courier  proved  equal  to  the  emergency.  Dis 
covering  that  the  manager  of  the  company  and 
the  principal  artists  were  still  in  Milan,  he 
suggested  to  Brewster  that  a  special  perform- 


204  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

ance  would  be  very  difficult  to  secure  but  might 
still  be  possible.  His  chief  caught  at  the  idea 
and  authorized  him  to  make  every  arrangement, 
reserving  the  entire  house  for  his  own  party. 

"But  the  place  will  look  bare,"  protested 
the  courier,  aghast. 

"Fill  it  with  flowers,  cover  it  with  tapestries,  " 
commanded  Brewster.  "I  put  the  affair  in 
your  hands,  and  I  trust  you  to  carry  it  through 
in  the  right  way.  Show  them  how  it  ought  to 
be  done." 

Bertier's  heart  swelled  within  him  at  the 
thought  of  so  glorious  an  opportunity.  His 
fame,  he  felt,  was  already  established  in  Italy. 
It  became  a  matter  of  pride  to  do  the  thing 
handsomely,  and  the  necessary  business 
arrangements  called  out  all  his  unused 
resources  of  delicacy  and  diplomacy.  When 
it  came  to  the  decoration  of  the  opera  house, 
he  called  upon  Pettingill  for  assistance,  and 
together  they  superintended  an  arrangement 
which  curtained  off  a  large  part  of  the  place 
and  reduced  it  to  livable  proportions.  With 
the  flowers  and  the  lights,  the  tapestries  and 
the  great  faded  flags,  it  became  something 
quite  different  from  the  usual  empty  theater. 

To  the  consternation  of  the  Italians,  the 
work  had  been  rushed,  and  it  was  on  the  even- 


PRINCE  AND  PEASANTS  •  205 

ing  after  their  arrival  in  Milan  that  Brewster 
conducted  his  friends  in  state  to  the  Scala.  It 
was  almost  a  triumphal  progress,  for  he  had 
generously  if  unwittingly  given  the  town  the 
most  princely  sensation  in  years,  and  curiosity 
was  abundant.  Mrs.  Valentine,  who  was  in 
the  carriage  with  Monty,  wondered  openly  why 
they  were  attracting  so  much  attention. 

"They  take  us  for  American  dukes  and 
princesses,"  explained  Monty.  "They  never 
saw  a  white  man  before." 

"Perhaps  they  expected  us  to  ride  on  buf 
faloes,"  said  Mrs.  Dan,  "with  Indian  captives 
in  our  train." 

"No,"  "Subway"  Smith  protested,  "I  seem 
to  see  disappointment  in  their  faces.  They 
are  looking  for  crowns  and  scepters  and  a 
shower  of  gold  coin.  Really,  Monty,  you 
don't  play  the  game  as  you  should.  Why,  I 
could  give  you  points  on  the  potentate  act 
myself.  A  milk-white  steed,  a  few  clattering 
attendants  in  gorgeous  uniforms,  a  lofty  nod 
here  and  there,  and  little  me  distributing  silver 
in  the  rear." 

"I  wonder,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Dan,  "if  they 
don't  get  tired  now  and  then  of  being  poten 
tates.  Can't  you  fancy  living  in  palaces  and 
longing  for  a  thatched  cottage?" 


206  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

"Easily,"  answered  "Subway,"  with  a  laugh. 
"Haven't  we  tried  it  ourselves?  Two  months 
of  living  upon  nothing  but  fatted  calves  is 
more  than  I  can  stand.  We  shall  be  ready  for 
a  home  for  dyspeptics  if  you  can't  slow  down 
a  bit,  Monty." 

Whereupon  Mrs.  Dan  evolved  a  plan,  and 
promptly  began  to  carry  it  out  by  inviting  the 
crowd  to  dinner  the  next  night.  Monty  pro 
tested  that  they  would  be  leaving  Milan  in  the 
afternoon,  and  that  this  was  distinctly  his  affair 
and  he  was  selfish. 

But  Mrs.  Dan  was  very  sure.  "My  dear 
boy,  you  can't  have  things  your  own  way  every 
minute.  In  another  month  you  will  be  quite 
spoiled.  Anything  to  prevent  that.  My  duty 
is  plain.  Even  if  I  have  to  use  heroic 
measures,  you  dine  with  me  to-morrow." 

Monty  recognized  defeat  when  he  met  it,  and 
graciously  accepted  her  very  kind  invitation. 
The  next  moment  they  drew  up  at  the  opera 
house  and  were  ushered  in  with  a  deference 
only  accorded  to  wealth.  The  splendor  of  the 
effect  was  overpowering  to  Brewster  as  well  as 
to  his  bewildered  guests.  Aladdin,  it  seemed, 
had  fairly  outdone  himself.  The  wonder  of  it 
was  so  complete  that  it  was  some  time  before 
they  could  settle  down  to  the  opera,  which 


PRINCE  AND  PEASANTS  207 

was  Aida,  given  with  an  enthusiasm  that  only 
Italians  can  compass. 

During  the  last  intermission  Brewster  and 
Peggy  were  walking  in  the  foyer.  They  had 
rarely  spoken  since  the  day  of  the  ride  but 
Monty  noticed  with  happiness  that  she  had  on 
several  occasions  avoided  Pettingill. 

"I  thought  we  had  given  up  fairyland  when 
we  left  the  lakes,  but  I  believe  you  carry  it 
with  you,"  she  said. 

"The  trouble  with  this,"  Monty  replied,  "is 
that  there  are  too  many  people  about.  My 
fairyland  is  to  be  just  a  little  different." 

"Your  fairyland,  Monty,  will  be  built  of 
gold  and  paved  with  silver  You  will  sit  all 
day  cutting  coupons  in  an  office  of  alabaster." 

"Peggy,  do  you  too  think  me  vulgar?  It's  a 
beastly  parade,  I  know,  but  it  can't  stop  now. 
You  don't  realize  the  momentum  of  the  thing. " 

"You  do  it  up  to  the  handle,"  she  put  in. 
"And  you  are  much  too  generous  to  be  vulgar. 
But  it  worries  me,  Monty,  it  worries  me  des 
perately.  It's  the  future  I'm  thinking  of— 
your  future,  which  is  being  swallowed  up. 
This  kind  of  thing  can't  go  on.  And  what  is 
to  follow  it?  You  are  wasting  your  substance, 
and  you  are  not  making  any  life  for  yourself 
that  opens  out. " 


208  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"Peggy,  "he  answered  very  seriously,  "you 
have  got  to  trust  me.  I  can't  back  out,  but 
I'll  tell  you  this.  You  shall  not  be  disappointed 
in  me  in  the  end." 

There  was  a  mist  before  the  girl's  eyes  as 
she  looked  at  him.  "I  believe  you,  Monty," 
she  said  simply;  "I  shall  not  forget." 

The  curtain  rose  upon  the  next  act,  and 
something  in  the  opera  toward  the  end  seemed 
to  bring  the  two  very  close  together.  As  they 
were  leaving  the  theater,  there  was  a  note  of 
regret  from  Peggy.  "It  has  been  perfect," 
she  breathed,  "yet,  Monty,  isn't  it  a  waste 
that  no  one  else  should  have  seen  it?  Think 
of  these  poverty-stricken  peasants  who  adore 
music  and  have  never  heard  an  opera." 

"Well,  they  shall  hear  one  now."  Monty 
rose  to  it,  but  he  felt  like  a  hypocrite  in  con 
cealing  his  chief  motive.  "We'll  repeat  the 
performance  to-morrow  night  and  fill  the  house 
with  them." 

He  was  as  good  as  his  word.  Bertier  was 
given  a  task  the  next  day  which  was  not  to 
his  taste.  But  with  the  assistance  of  the  city 
authorities  he  carried  it  through.  To  them  it 
was  an  evidence  of  insanity,  but  there  was 
something  princely  about  it  and  they  were 
tolerant.  The  manager  of  the  opera  house 


PRINCE  AND  PEASANTS  209 

was  less  complacent,  and  he  had  an  exclama 
tory  terror  of  the  damage  to  his  upholstery. 
But  Brewster  had  discovered  that  in  Italy  gold 
is  a  panacea  for  all  ills,  and  his  prescriptions 
were  liberal.  To  him  the  day  was  short,  for 
Peggy's  interest  in  the  penance,  as  it  came  to 
be  called,  was  so  keen  that  she  insisted  on 
having  a  hand  in  the  preliminaries.  There 
was  something  about  the  partnership  that 
appealed  to  Monty. 

To  her  regret  the  DeMille  dinner  interfered 
with  the  opening  of  the  performance,  but 
Monty  consoled  her  with  the  promise  that  the 
opera  and  its  democratic  audience  should 
follow.  During  the  day  Mrs.  Dan  had  been 
deep  in  preparations  for  her  banquet,  but  her 
plans  were  elaborately  concealed.  They 
culminated  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  Cova  not  far 
from  the  Scala,  and  the  dinner  was  eaten  in 
the  garden  to  the  sound  of  music.  Yet  it  was 
an  effect  of  simplicity  with  which  Mrs.  Dan 
surprised  her  guests.  They  were  prepared  for 
anything  but  that,  and  when  they  were  served 
with  consomme,  spaghetti — a  concession  to  the 
chef — and  chops  and  peas,  followed  by  a  salad 
and  coffee,  the  gratitude  of  the  crowd  was  quite 
beyond  expression.  In  a  burst  of  enthusiasm 
"Subway"  Smith  suggested  a  testimonial. 


210  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

Monty  complained  bitterly  that  he  himself 
had  never  received  a  ghost  of  a  testimonial. 
He  protested  that  it  was  not  deserved. 

"Why  should  you  expect  it?"  exclaimed 
Pettingill,  "when  have  you  risen  from  terrapin 
and  artichokes  to  chops  and  chicory?  When 
have  you  given  us  nectar  and  ambrosia  like 
this?" 

Monty  was  defeated  by  a  unanimous  vote 
and  Mrs.  Dan's  testimonial  was  assured. 
This  matter  settled,  Peggy  and  Mrs.  Valentine, 
with  Brewster  and  Pettingill,  walked  over  to 
the  Scala  and  heard  again  the  last  two  acts  of 
Aida.  But  the  audience  was  different,  and  the 
applause. 

The  next  day  at  noon  the  chauffeurs  from 
Paris  reported  for  duty,  and  five  gleaming 
French  devil-wagons  steamed  off  through  the 
crowd  in  the  direction  of  Venice.  Through 
Brescia  and  Verona  and  Vicenza  they  passed, 
scattering  largess  of  silver  in  their  wake  and 
leaving  a  trail  of  breathless  wonder.  Brewster 
found  the  pace  too  fast  and  by  the  time  they 
reached  Venice  he  had  a  wistful  longing  to 
take  this  radiant  country  more  slowly.  "But 
this  is  purely  a  business  trip,"  he  thought, 
"and  I  can't  expect  to  enjoy  it.  Some  day 
I'll  come  back  and  do  it  differently.  I  could 


PRINCE  AND  PEASANTS  211 

spend  hours  in  a  gondola  if  the  blamed  things 
were  not  more  expensive  by  the  trip." 

It  was  there  that  he  was  suddenly  recalled 
to  his  duty  from  dreams  of  moonlight  on  the 
water,  by  a  cablegram  which  demanded  $324.00 
before  it  could  be  read.  It  contained  word  for 
word  the  parable  of  the  ten  talents  and  ended 
with  the  simple  word  "Jones." 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

The  summer  is  scarcely  a  good  time  to  visit 
Egypt,  but  Monty  and  his  guests  had  a  de 
sire  to  see  even  a  little  of  the  northern 
coast  of  Africa.  It  was  decided,  therefore, 
that  after  Athens,  the  "Flitter,"  should  go 
south.  The  yacht  had  met  them  at  Naples 
after  the  automobile  procession — a  kind  of  tri 
umphal  progress, — was  disbanded  in  Florence, 
and  they  had  taken  a  hurried  survey  of  Rome. 
By'  the  middle  of  July  the  party  was  leav 
ing  the  heat  of  Egypt  and  rinding  it  not  half 
bad.  New  York  was  not  more  than  a  month 
away  as  Brewster  reckoned  time  and  dis 
tance,  and  there  was  still  too  much  money 
in  the  treasury.  As  September  drew  nearer 
he  got  into  the  habit  of  frequently  forgetting 
Swearengen  Jones  until  it  was  too  late  to 
retrace  his  steps.  He  was  coming  to  the 
"death  struggle,"  as  he  termed  it,  and  there 
was  something  rather  terrorizing  in  the  fear 
that  "the  million  might  die  hard."  And  so 
these  last  days  and  nights  were  glorious  ones, 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE  213 

if  one  could  have  looked  at  them  with  unbi 
ased,  untroubled  eyes.  But  every  member  of 
his  party  was  praying  for  the  day  when  the 
"Flitter"  would  be  well  into  the  broad  Atlantic 
and  the  worst  over.  At  Alexandria  Brewster 
had  letters  to  some  Englishmen,  and  in  the  few 
entertainments  that  he  gave  succeeded  once 
again,  in  fairly  outdoing  Aladdin. 

A  sheik  from  the  interior  was  a  guest  at  one 
of  Monty's  entertainments.  He  was  a  burly, 
hot-blooded  fellow,  with  a  densely-populated 
harem,  and  he  had  been  invited  more  as  a 
curiosity  than  as  one  to  be  honored.  As  he 
came  aboard  the  "Flitter,"  Monty  believed 
the  invitation  was  more  than  justified.  Mo 
hammed  was  superb,  and  the  women  of  the 
party  made  so  much  of  him  that  it  was  small 
wonder  that  his  head  was  turned.  He  fell 
desperately  in  love  with  Peggy  Gray  on  sight, 
and  with  all  the  composure  of  a  potentate  who 
has  never  been  crossed  he  sent  for  Brewster 
the  next  day  and  told  him  to  "send  her 
around"  and  he  would  marry  her.  Monty's 
blood  boiled  furiously  for  a  minute  or  two,  but 
he  was  quick  to  see  the  wisdom  of  treating  the 
proposition  diplomatically.  He  tried  to  make 
it  plain  to  the  sheik  that  Miss  Gray  could  not 
accept  the  honor  he  wished  to  confer  upon 


214  BREWSTER' S  MILLIONS 

her,  but  it  was  not  Mohammed's  custom  to  be 
denied  anything  he  asked  for — especially  any 
thing  feminine.  He  complacently  announced 
that  he  would  come  aboard  that  afternoon  and 
talk  it  over  with  Peggy. 

Brewster  looked  the  swarthy  gentleman 
over  with  unconcealed  disgust  in  his  eyes. 
The  mere  thought  of  this  ugly  brute  so  much 
as  touching  the  hand  of  little  Peggy  Gray  filled 
him  with  horror,  and  yet  there  was  something 
laughable  in  the  situation.  He  could  not  hide 
the  smile  that  came  with  the  mind  picture  of 
Peggy  listening  to  the  avowal  of  the  sheik. 
The  Arab  misinterpreted  this  exhibition  of 
mirth.  To  him  the  grin  indicated  friendship 
and  encouragement.  He  wanted  to  give 
Brewster  a  ring  as  a  pledge  of  affection,  but 
the  American  declined  the  offering  and  also 
refused  to  carry  a  bag  of  jewels  to  Peggy. 

"I'll  let  the  old  boy  come  aboard  just  to  see 
Peggy  look  a  hole  through  him,"  he  resolved. 
"No  matter  how  obnoxious  it  may  be,  it  isn't 
every  girl  who  can  say  an  oriental  potentate 
has  asked  her  to  marry  him.  If  this  camel- 
herder  gets  disagreeable  we.  may  tumble  him 
into  the  sea  for  a  change." 

With  the  best  grace  possible  he  invited  the 
sheik  to  come  aboard  and  consult  Miss  Gray 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE  215 

in  person.  Mohammed  was  a  good  bit  puzzled 
over  the  intimation  that  it  would  be  neces 
sary  for  him  to  plead  for  anything  he  had  ex 
pressed  a  desire  to  possess.  Brewster  confided 
the  news  to  "Rip"  Van  Winkle  and  "Subway" 
Smith,  who  had  gone  ashore  with  him,  and 
the  trio  agreed  that  it  would  be  good  sport  to 
let  the  royal  proposal  come  as  a  surprise  to 
Peggy.  Van  Winkle  returned  to  the  yacht  at 
once,  but  his  companions  stayed  ashore  to  do 
some  shopping.  When  they  approached  the 
"Flitter"  later  on  they  observed  an  unusual 
commotion  on  deck. 

Mohammed  had  not  tarried  long  after  their 
departure.  He  gathered  his  train  together, 
selected  a  few  costly  presents  that  had  been 
returned  from  the  harem  and  advanced  on  the 
boat  without  delay.  The  captain  of  the 
"Flitter"  stared  long  and  hard  at  the  gaily 
bedecked  launches  and  then  called  to  his  first 
officer.  Together  they  watched  the  ceremo 
nious  approach.  A  couple  of  brown-faced 
heralds:  came  aboard  first  and  announced  the 
approach  of  the  mighty  chief.  Captain  Perry 
went  forward  to  greet  the  sheik  as  he  came  over 
the  side  of  the  ship,  but  he  was  brushed  aside 
by  the  advance  guards.  Half  a  hundred 
swarthy  fellows  crowded  aboard  and  then  came 


216  BREW  STERNS  MILLIONS 

the  sheik,  the  personification  of  pomp  and 
pride. 

"Where  is  she?"  he  asked  in  his  native 
tongue.  The  passengers  were  by  this  time 
aware  of  the  visitation,  and  began  to  straggle 
on  deck,  filled  with  curiosity. 

"What  the  devil  do  you  mean  by  coming 
aboard  in  this  manner?"  demanded  the  now 
irate  Captain  Perry,  shoving  a  couple  of 
retainers  out  of  his  path  and  facing  the  beam 
ing  suitor.  An  interpreter  took  a  hand  at  this 
juncture  and  the  doughty  captain  finally  was 
made  to  understand  the  object  of  the  visit.  He 
laughed  in  the  sheik's  face  and  told  the  mate 
to  call  up  a  few  jackies  to  drive  the  "dagoes" 
off.  "Rip"  Van  Winkle  interfered  and  peace 
was  restored.  The  cruise  had  changed  "Rip" 
into  a  happier  and  far  more  radiant  creature,  so 
it  was  only  natural  that  he  should  have  shared 
the  secret  with  Mary  Valentine.  He  had  told  the 
story  of  the  sheik's  demand  to  her  as  soon  as 
he  came  aboard,  and  she  had  divulged  it  to 
Peggy  the  instant  "Rip"  was  out  of  sight. 

Brewster  found  the  sheik  sitting  in  state 
on  the  upper  deck  impatiently  awaiting  the 
appearance  of  his  charmer.  He  did  not  know 
her  name,  but  he  had  tranquilly  commanded 
"Rip"  to  produce  all  of  the  women  on  board 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE  217 

so  that  he  might  select  Peggy  from  among 
them.  Van  Winkle  and  Bragdon,  who  now 
was  in  the  secret,  were  preparing  to  march 
the  ladies  past  the  ruler  when  Monty  came  up. 

"Has  he  seen  Peggy?"  he  asked  of  Van 
Winkle. 

"Not  yet.    She  is  dressing  for  the  occasion." 

"Well,  wait  and  see  what  happens  to  him 
when  she  gets  over  the  first  shock,"  laughed 
Monty. 

Just  then  the  sheik  discovered  Peggy,  who, 
pretty  as  a  picture,  drew  near  the  strange  group. 
To  her  amazement  two  slaves  rushed  forward 
and  obstructed  her  passage  long  enough  to  beat 
their  heads  on  the  deck  a  few  times,  after 
which  they  arose  and  tendered  two  magnifi 
cent  necklaces.  She  was  prepared  for  the 
proposal,  but  this  action  disconcerted  her;  she 
gasped  and  looked  about  in  perplexity.  Her 
friends  were  smiling  broadly  and  the  sheik 
had  placed  his  hands  over  his  palpitating  heart. 

"Lothario  has  a  pain,"  whispered  "Rip" 
Van  Winkle  sympathetically,  and  Brewster 
laughed.  Peggy  did  rot  hesitate  an  instant 
after  hearing  the  laugh.  She  walked  straight 
toward  the  sheik.  Her  cheeks  were  pink  and 
her  eyes  were  flashing  dangerously.  The 
persistent  brown  slaves  followed  with  the 


21S  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

jewels,  but  she  ignored  them  completely. 
Brave  as  she  intended  to  be,  she  could  not 
repress  the  shudder  of  repulsion  that  went 
over  her  as  she  looked  full  upon  this  eager 
Arab. 

Graceful  and  slender  she  stood  before  the 
the  burly  Mohammed,  but  his  ardor  was  not 
cooled  by  the  presence  of  so  many  witnesses. 
With  a  thud  he  dropped  to  his  knees,  wab 
bling  for  a  moment  in  the  successful  effort  to 
maintain  a  poetic  equilibrium.  Then  he  began 
pouring  forth  volumes  of  shattered  French, 
English  and  Arabic  sentiment,  accompanied 
by  facial  contortions  so  intense  that  they  were 
little  less  than  gruesome. 

"Oh,  joy  of  the  sun  supreme,  jewel  of  the 
only  eye,  harken  to  the  entreaty  of  Moham 
med."  It  was  more  as  if  he  were  command 
ing  his  troops  in  battle  than  pleading  for  the 
tender  compassion  of  a  lady  love.  "I  am  come 
for  you,  queen  of  the  sea  and  earth  and  sky. 
My  boats  are  here,  my  camels  there,  and 
Mohammed  promises  you  a  palace  in  the  sun-lit 
hills  if  you  will  but  let  him  bask  forever  in  the 
glory  of  your  smile."  All  this  was  uttered  in 
a  mixture  of  tongues  so  atrocious  that  "Sub 
way"  Smith  afterward  described  it  as  a  salad. 
The  retinue  bowed  impressively  and  two  or 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE  219 

three  graceless  Americans  applauded  as  vig 
orously  as  if  they  were  approving  the  actions 
of  a  well-drilled  comic  opera  chorus.  Sailors 
were  hanging  in  the  rigging,  on  the  davits  and 
over  the  deck  house  roof. 

"Smile  for  the  gentleman,  Peggy,"  com 
manded  Brewster  delightedly.  "He  wants  to 
take  a  short  bask." 

"You  are  very  rude,  Mr.  Brewster,"  said 
Peggy  turning  upon  him  coldly.  Then  to  the 
waiting,  expectant  sheik:  "What  is  the  mean 
ing  of  this  eloquence?" 

Mohammed  looked  bewildered  for  a  moment 
and  then  turned  to  the  interpreter,  who  cleared 
up  the  mystery  surrounding  her  English.  For 
the  next  three  or  four  minutes  the  air  was  filled 
with  the  "Jewels  of  Africa,"  "Star,"  "Sun 
light,"  "Queen,"  "Heavenly  Joy,"  "Pearl  of 
the  Desert,"  and  other  things  in  bad  English, 
worse  French,  and  perfect  Arabic.  He  was 
making  promises  that  could  not  be  redeemed 
if  he  lived  a  thousand  years.  In  conclusion 
the  gallant  sheik  drew  a  long  breath,  screwed 
his  face  into  a  simpering  grin  and  played  his 
trump  card  in  unmistakable  English.  It 
sounded  pathetically  like  "You're  a  peach." 

An  indecorous  roar  went  up  from  the  white 
spectators  and  a  jacky  in  the  rigging.  SUQ- 


220  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

denly  thinking  of  home,  piped  up  with  a  bar 
or  two  from  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner." 

Having  accomplished  what  he  considered  to 
be  his  part  of  the  ceremony  the  sheik  arose 
and  started  toward  his  launch,  coolly  motion 
ing  for  her  to  follow  So  far  as  he  was  con 
cerned  the  matter  was  closed.  But  Peggy,  her 
heart  thumping  like  a  trip-hammer,  her  eyes 
full  of  excitement,  implored  him  to  stop  for  a 
moment. 

"I  appreciate  this  great  honor,  but  I  have  a 
request  to  make,"  she  said  clearly.  Mohammed 
paused  irresolutely  and  in  some  irritation. 

"Here's  where  the  heathen  gets  it  among 
the  beads,''  whispered  Monty  to  Mrs.  Dan, 
and  he  called  out:  "Captain  Perry,  detail  half 
a  dozen  men  to  pick  up  the  beads  that  are 
about  to  slip  from  his  majesty's  neck." 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE  SHEIfCS  STRA  TEG  Y 

gave  the  sheik  an  entrancing  smile, 
followed  by  a  brief  glance  at  the  beaming  Miss 
Valentine,  who  nodded  her  head  approvingly. 

"Won't  you  give  me  time  to  go  below  and 
pack  my  belongings  that  they  may  be  sent 
ashore?"  she  asked  naively. 

"Thunder!"  gasped  Monty.  "That's  no  way 
to  turn  him  down." 

"What  do  you  mean,  Monty  Brewster?"  she 
cried,  turning  upon  him  with  flashing  eyes. 

"Why,  you're  encouraging  the  old  guy,"  he 
protested,  disappointment  in  every  inflection. 

"And  what  if  I  am?  Isn't  it  my  affair?  I 
think  I  am  right  in  suspecting  that  he  has  asked 
me  to  be  his  wife.  Isn't  it  my  privilege  to 
accept  him  if  I  wish?" 

Brewster' s  face  was  a  study.  He  could  not 
believe  that  she  was  in  earnest,  but  there  was  a 
ghastly  feeling  that  the  joke  was  being  turned 
on  him.  The  rest  of  the  company  stared  hard  at 
the  flushed  Peggy  and  breathlessly  awaited 
developments. 


222  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"It  won't  do  to  trifle  with  this  chap,  Peggy," 
said  Monty,  coming  quite  close  to  her.  "Don't 
lead  him  on.  He  might  get  nasty  if  he  thinks 
you're  making  sport  of  him." 

"You  are  quite  absurd,  Monty,"  she  cried, 
petulantly.  "I  am  not  making  sport  of  him." 

"Well,  then,  why  don't  you  tell  him  to  go 
about  his  business?" 

"I  don't  see  any  beads  lying  around  loose," 
said  "Rip"  tormentingly.  The  sheik  impa 
tiently  said  something  to  the  interpreter  and 
that  worthy  repeated  it  for  Peggy's  benefit. 

"The  Son  of  the  Prophet  desires  that  you  be 
as  quick  as  possible,  Queen  of  the  World.  He 
tires  of  waiting  and  commands  you  to  come 
with  him  at  once." 

Peggy  winced  and  her  eyes  shot  a  brief  look 
of  scorn  at  the  scowling  sheik.  In  an  instant, 
however,  she  was  smiling  agreeably  and  was 
turning  toward  the  steps. 

"Holy  mackerel!  Where  are  you  going, 
Peggy?"  cried  Lotless,  the  first  to  turn  fear 
ful. 

"To  throw  some  things  into  my  trunk,"  she 
responded  airily.  "Will  you  come  with  me, 
Mary?" 

"Peggy!"  cried  Brewster  angrily.  "This 
has  gone  far  enough." 


THE  SHEIK'S  STRA  TEG  Y  223 

"You  should  have  spoken  sooner,  Monty," 
she  said  quietly. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do,  Margaret?" 
cried  Mrs.  Dan,"  her  eyes  wide  with  amaze 
ment. 

"I  am  going  to  marry  the  Son  of  the 
Prophet,"  she  replied  so  decidedly  that  every 
one  gasped.  A  moment  later  she  was  sur 
rounded  by  a  group  of  excited  women,  and 
Captain  Perry  was  calling  the  "jackies"  forward 
in  a  voice  of  thunder. 

Brewster  pushed  his  way  to  her  side,  his 
face  as  white  as  death. 

"This  isn't  a  joke,  Peggy,"  he  cried.  "Go 
below  and  I'll  get  rid  of  the  sheik." 

Just  then  the  burly  Algerian  asserted  him- 
self.  He  did  not  like  the  way  in  which  his 
adored  one  was  being  handled  by  the  "white 
dogs,"  and  with  two  spearmen  he  rushed  up  to 
Brewster,  jabbering  angrily. 

"Stand  back,  you  idiot,  or  I'll  punch  your 
head  off,' '  said  Brewster,  with  sudden  emphasis. 

It  was  not  until  this  moment  that  Peggy 
realized  that  there  might  be  a  serious  side  to 
the  little  farce  she  and  Mary  had  decided  to 
play  for  the  punishment  of  Brewster.  Terror 
suddenly  took  the  place  of  mirth,  and  she  clung 
frantically  to  Monty's  arm. 


224  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

"I  was  joking,  Monty,  only  joking,"  she 
cried.  "Oh,  what  have  I  done?" 

"It's  my  fault,"  he  exclaimed,  "but  I'll  take 
care  of  you,  never  fear." 

"Stand  aside!"  roared  the  sheik  threaten 
ingly. 

The  situation  was  ominous.  Frightened  as 
they  were  the  women  could  not  flee,  but 
stood  as  if  petrified.  Sailors  eagerly  swarmed 
to  the  deck. 

"Get  off  this  boat,"  said  Monty,  ominously 
calm,  to  the  interpreter,  "or  we'll  pitch  you  and 
your  whole  mob  into  the  sea." 

"Keep  cool!  Keep  cool!"  cried  "Subway" 
Smith  quickly.  He  stepped  between  Brew- 
ster  and  the  angry  suitor,  and  that  action  alone 
prevented  serious  trouble.  While  he  parleyed 
with  the  sheik  Mrs.  DeMille  hurried  Peggy  to 
a  safe  place  below  deck,  and  they  were  fol 
lowed  by  a  flock  of  shivering  women.  Poor 
Peggy  was  almost  in  tears  and  the  piteous 
glances  she  threw  at  Brewster  when  he  stepped 
between  her  and  the  impetuous  sheik,  who  had 
started  to  follow,  struck  deep  into  his  heart  and 
made  him  ready  to  fight  to  the  death  for  her. 

It  took  nearly  an  hour  to  convince  the 
Algerian  that  Peggy  had  misunderstood  him 
and  that  American  women  were  not  to  be 


THE  SHEIK'S  STRA  TEG  Y  225 

wooed  after  the  African  fashion.  He  finally 
departed  with  his  entire  train,  thoroughly 
dissatisfied  and  in  high  dudgeon.  At  first  he 
threatened  to  take  her  by  force;  then  he 
agreed  to  give  her  another  day  in  which  to 
make  up  her  mind  to  go  with  him  peaceably, 
and  again  he  concluded  that  a  bird  in  the  hand 
was  worth  two  in  the  bush. 

Brewster  stood  gloomily  on  the  outside  of 
the  excited  group  glowering  upon  the  ugly 
suitor.  Cooler  heads  had  relegated  him  to  this 
place  of  security  during  the  diplomatic  contest. 
The  sheik's  threats  of  vengeance  were  direful. 
He  swore  by  somebody's  beard  that  he  would 
bring  ten  thousand  men  to  establish  his  claim 
by  force.  His  intense  desire  to  fight  for  her 
then  and  there  was  quelled  by  Captain  Perry's 
detachment  of  six  lusty  sailors,  whose  big  bare 
fists  were  shaken  vigorously  under  a  few  startled 
noses.  It  took  all  the  fight  out  of  the  sheik 
and  his  train.  Three  retainers  fell  into  the  sea 
while  trying  to  retreat  as  far  as  possible  from 
danger. 

Mohammed  departed  with  the  irate  declara 
tion  that  he  would  come  another  day  and  that 
the  whole  world  would  tremble  at  his  approach. 
Disgusted  with  himself  and  afraid  to  meet  the 
eyes  of  the  other  men,  Brewster  went  below  in 


226  BREWSTER' S  MILLIONS 

search  of  Peggy.  He  took  time  to  comfort  the 
anxious  women  who  crowded  about  him  and 
then  asked  for  Miss  Gray.  She  was  in  her 
stateroom  and  would  not  come  forth.  When 
he  knocked  at  the  door  a  dismal,  troubled  voice 
from  within  told  him  to^go  away. 

"Come  out,  Peggy;  it's  all  over,"  he  called. 

"Please  go  away,  Monty,"  she  said. 

"What  are  you  doing  in  there?"  There  was 
a  long  pause,  and  then  came  the  pitiful  little 
wail:  "I  am  unpacking,  please,  sir." 

That  night  Brewster  entertained  on  board  the 
yacht,  several  resident  French  and  English 
acquaintances  being  the  guests  of  honor.  The 
story  of  the  day  was  told  by  Mrs.  Dan  DeMille, 
commissioned  especially  for  the  duty.  She 
painted  the  scene  so  vividly  that  the  guests 
laughed  with  joy  over  the  discomfiture  of  the 
shiek.  Peggy  and  Brewster  found  themselves 
looking  sheepishly  at  one  another  now  and  then 
in  the  course  of  the  recital.  She  purposely  had 
avoided  him  during  the  evening,  but  she  had 
gamely  endured  the  raillery  that  came  from 
the  rest  of  the  party.  If  she  was  a  bit  pale  it 
was  not  surprising.  Now  that  it  was  over  the 
whole  affair  appalled  her  more  than  she  could 
have  suspected.  When  several  of  the  guests  of 
the  evening  soberly  announced  that  Mohammed 


THE  SHEIK'S  STRA  TEG  Y  227 

was  a  dangerous  man  and  even  an  object  of 
worry  to  the  government  she  felt  a  strange  catch 
in  her  throat  and  her  now  mirthless  eyes  turned 
instinctively  to  Brewster,  who,  it  seemed,  was 
the  sheik's  special  object  of  aversion. 

The  next  day  she  and  Monty  talked  it  over. 
The  penitence  of  both  was  beautiful  to  behold. 
Each  denied  the  other  the  privilege  of  assum 
ing  all  the  blame  and  both  were  so' happy  that 
Mohammed  was  little  more  than  a  preposition 
in  their  conversation  so  far  as  prominence  was 
concerned.  But  all  day  long  the  harbor  was 
full  of  fisher  boats,  and  at  nightfall  they  still 
were  lolling  about,  sinister,  restless,  mysteri 
ous  like  purposeless  buzzards.  And  the  dark 
men  on  board  were  taking  up  no  fish,  neither 
were  they  minding  the  nets  that  lay  dry  and 
folded  in  the  bottom  of  their  boats. 

Far  into  the  night  there  was  revelry  on  board 
the  "Flitter,"  more  guests  having  come  out 
from  the  city.  The  dark  hours  before  the 
dawn  of  day  had  arrived  before  they  put  off 
for  shore,  but  the  fisher  boats  still  were  bob 
bing  about  in  the  black  waters  of  the  harbor. 
The  lights  gradually  disappeared  from  the 
port-holes  of  the  yacht,  and  the  tired  watch  was 
about  to  be  relieved.  Monty  Brewster  and  Peggy 
remained  on  deck  after  the  guests  had  gone 


228  EREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

over  the  side  of  the  vessel.  They  were  leaning 
over  the  rail  aft  listening  to  the  jovial  voices 
of  the  visitors  as  they  grew  fainter  and  fainter  in 
the  distance.  The  lights  of  the  town  were  few, 
but  they  could  plainly  be  seen  from  the  offing. 

"Are  you  tired,  Peggy?"  asked  Brewster, 
with  a  touch  of  tenderness.  Somehow  of  late 
he  had  often  felt  a  strange  desire  to  take  her 
in  his  arms,  and  now  it  was  strong  upon  him. 
She  was  very  near,  and  there  was  a  drooping 
weariness  in  her  attitude  which  seemed  to 
demand  protection. 

"I  have  a  queer  feeling  that  something  awful 
is  going  to  happen  to-night,  Monty,"  she 
answered,  trouble  in  her  soft  voice. 

"You're  nervous,  that's  all,"  he  said,  "and 
you  should  get  to  sleep.  Good-night."  Their 
hands  touched  in  the  darkness,  and  the  thrill 
that  went  over  him  told  a  truth  of  which  he  had 
been  only  vaguely  conscious.  The  power  of 
it  made  him  exultant.  Yet  when  he  thought 
of  her  and  her  too  quiet  affection  for  him  it 
left  him  despondent. 

Something  bumped  against  the  side  of  the 
ship  and  a  grating  sound  followed.  Then 
came  other  gentle  thuds  combined  with  the 
soft  swish  of  water  disturbed.  Peggy  and 
Brewster  were  on  the  point  of  going  below 


THE  SHEIK'S  STRA  TEG  Y  229 

when  their  attention  was  caught  by  these 
strange  sounds. 

"What  is  it?"  she  asked  as  they  paused 
irresolutely.  He  strode  to  the  rail,  the  girl  fol 
lowing  close  behind.  Three  sharp  little  whistles 
came  from  above  and  behind  them,  but  before 
they  had  time  even  to  speculate  as  to  their 
meaning  the  result  was  in  evidence. 

Over  the  sides  of  the  ship  came  shadowy 
forms  as  if  by  magic;  at  their  backs  panther-like 
bodies  dropped  to  the  deck  with  stealthy 
thuds,  as  if  coming  from  the  inky  sky  above. 
There  was  an  instant  of  dreadful  calm  and  then 
the  crisis.  A  dozen  sinewy  forms  hurled  them 
selves  upon  Brewster,  who,  taken  completely  by 
surprise,  was  thrown  to  the  deck  in  an  instant, 
his  attempt  to  cry  out  for  help  being  checked 
by  heavy  hands.  Peggy's  scream  was  cut  off 
as  quickly,  and  paralyzed  by  terror,  she  felt 
herself  engulfed  in  strong  arms  and  smothered 
into  silence.  It  all  happened  so  quickly  that 
there  was  no  chance  to  give  the  alarm,  no 
opportunity  to  resist. 

Brewster  felt  himself  lifted  bodily,  and 
then  there  was  the  sensation  of  falling.  He 
struck  something  forcibly  with  all  his  weight 
and  fell  back  with  a  crash  to  the  deck.  After 
ward  he  found  that  the  effort  to  throw  him 


230  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

overboard  had  failed  only  because  his  assailants 
in  their  haste  had  hurled  him  against  an  unseen 
stanchion.  Peggy  was  borne  forward  and 
lowered  swiftly  into  arms  that  deposited  her 
roughly  upon  something  hard.  There  was  a 
jerky,  rocking  motion,  the  sudden  splash  of 
oars,  and  then  she  knew  no  more. 

The  invaders  had  planned  with  a  craftiness 
and  patience  that  deserved  success.  For  hours 
they  had  waited,  silently,  watchfully,  and  with 
deadly  assurance.  How  they  crept  up  to  the 
"Flitter"  in  such  numbers  and  how  the  more 
daring  came  aboard  long  before  the  blow  was 
struck,  no  one  ever  explained.  So  quickly  and 
so  accurately  was  the  abduction  performed 
that  the  boats  were  well  clear  of  the  yacht 
before  alarm  was  given  by  one  of  the  watch 
who  had  been  overlooked  in  the  careful  assault. 

Sleepy  sailors  rushed  on  deck  with  a  prompt 
ness  that  was  amazing.  Very  quickly  they  had 
found  and  unbound  Brewster,  carried  a  couple 
of  wounded  shipmates  below  and  had  Captain 
Perry  in  his  pajamas  on  deck  to  take  command. 

"The  searchlight!"  cried  Brewster  frantic 
ally.  "The  devils  have  stolen  Miss  Gray." 

While  swift  hands  were  lowering  the  boats 
for  the  chase  others  were  carrying  firearms  on 
deck.  The  searchlight  threw  its  mighty  white 


THE  SHEIK'S  STRA  TEGY  231 

arm  out  over  the  water  before  many  seconds 
had  passed,  and  eager  eyes  were  looking  for 
the  boats  of  the  pillagers.  The  Arabs  had 
reckoned  without  the  searchlight.  Their  fierce 
exultation  died  suddenly  when  the  mysterious 
streak  of  light  shot  into  the  sky  and  then  swept 
down  upon  the  sea,  hunting  them  out  of  the 
darkness  like  a  great  and  relentless  eye. 

The  "  Flitter' s"  boats  were  in  the  water  and 
manned  by  sturdy  oarsmen  before  the  glad  cry 
went  up  that  the  robber  fleet  had  been  dis 
covered.  They  were  so  near  the  yacht  that  it 
was  evident  the  dusky  tribesmen  were  poor 
oarsmen.  In  the  clear  light  from  the  ship's 
deck  they  could  be  seen  paddling  wildly,  their 
white  robes  fluttering  as  though  inspired  by 
fear.  There  were  four  boats,  all  of  them 
crowded  to  the  gunwales. 

"Keep  the  light  on  them,  captain,"  shouted 
Monty  from  below.  "Try  to  pick  out  the 
boat  that  has  Miss  Gray  on  board.  Pull  away, 
boys!  This  means  a  hundred  dollars  to  every 
one  of  you — yes,  a  thousand  if  we  have  to  fight 
for  her!" 

"Kill  every  damned  one  of  them,  Mr.  Brew- 
ster,"  roared  the  captain,  who  had  retired 
behind  a  boat  when  he  became  aware  of  the 
presence  of  women  on  deck. 


232  BREWSTER' S  MILLIONS 

Three  boats  shot  away  from  the  side  of  the 
yacht,  Brewster  and  Joe  Bragdon  in  the  first, 
both  armed  with  rifles. 

"Let's  take  a  shot  at  'em,"  cried  a  sailor 
who  stood  jn  the  stern  with  his  finger  on  a 
trigger. 

"Don't  do  that!  We  don't  know  what  boat 
holds  Peggy,"  commanded  Brewster.  "Keep 
cool,  boys,  and  be  ready  to  scrap  if  we  have 
to."  He  was  half  mad  with  fear  and  anxiety, 
and  he  was  determined  to  exterminate  the 
bands  of  robbers  if  harm  came  to  the  girl  in 
their  power. 

"She's  in  the  second  boat,"  came  the  cry 
from  the  yacht,  and  the  searchlight  was  kept 
on  that  particular  object  almost  to  the  exclu 
sion  of  the  others.  But  Captain  Perry  saw  the 
wisdom  of  keeping  all  of  them  clearly  located 
in  order  to  prevent  trickery. 

Brewster' s  brawny  sailor  boys  came  up  like 
greyhounds,  cheering  as  they  dashed  among 
the  boats  of  the  fugitives.  Three  or  four  shots 
were  fired  into  the  air  by  the  zealous  American 
lads,  and  there  were  loud  cries  from  the  Arabs 
as  they  veered  off  panic-stricken.  Monty's 
boat  was  now  in  the  path  of  light  and  not  far 
behind  the  one  which  held  Peggy.  He  was 
standing  in  the  bow. 


THE  SHEIK'S  STRA  TEGY  233 

"Take  care  of  the  others!"  he  called  back  to 
his  followers.  "We'll  go  after  the  leaders." 

The  response  from  behind  was  a  cheer,  a 
half  dozen  shots  and  some  of  the  most  joyous 
profanity  that  ever  fell  from  the  lips  of  Amer 
ican  sailors,  mingled  with  shrieks  from  the 
boats  they  were  to"take  care  of." 

"Stop!"  Brewster  shouted  to  the  Arabs. 
"Stop,  or  we'll  kill  everyone  of  you!"  His 
boat  was  not  more  than  fifty  feet  from  the 
other. 

Suddenly  a  tall,  white-robed  figure  arose  in 
the  middle  of  the  Egyptian  craft,  and  a  mo 
ment  later  the  pursuers  saw  Peggy's  form 
passed  up  to  him.  She  was  instantly  clasped 
by  one  of  his  long  arms,  and  the  other  was 
lifted  high  above  her.  A  gleaming  knife  was 
held  in  the  upraised  hand. 

"Fire  on  us  if  you  dare!"  came  in  French 
from  the  tall  Arab.  "Dog  of  an  American,  she 
shall  die  if  you  come  near  her!" 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  RESCUE  OF  PEGG  Y 

Brewster's  heart  almost  ceased  beating,  and 
every  vestige  of  color  left  his  face.  Clear  and 
distinct  in  the  light  from  the  yacht  the  Arab 
and  his  burden  were  outlined  against  the  black 
screen  beyond.  There  was  no  mistaking  the 
earnestness  of  the  threat,  nor  could  the  wit 
nesses  doubt  the  ghastly  intention  of  the  long, 
cruel  knife  that  gleamed  on  high.  Peggy's 
body  served  as  a  shield  for  that  of  her  captor. 
Brewster  and  Bragdon  recognized  the  man  as 
one  of  Mohammed's  principal  retainers,  a 
fierce-looking  fellow  who  had  attracted  more 
than  usual  attention  on  the  day  of  the  sheik's 
visit. 

"For  God's  sake,  don't  kill  her!"  cried 
Brewster  in  agonized  tones.  There  was  a 
diabolical  grin  on  the  face  of  the  Arab,  who 
was  about  to  shout  back  some  defiant  taunt 
when  the  unexpected  happened. 

The  sharp  crack  of  a  gun  sounded  in  the 
stern  of  Brewster's  boat,  and  an  unerring  bul 
let  sped  straight  for  the  big  Arab's  forehead. 
234 


THE  RESCUE  OF  PEGGY  235 

It  crashed  between  his  eyes  and  death  must 
have  been  instantaneous.  The  knife  flew  from 
his  hand,  his  body  straightened  and  then 
collapsed,  toppling  over,  not  among  his  oars 
men,  but  across  the  gunwale  of  the  craft. 
Before  a  hand  could  be  lifted  to  prevent,  the 
dead  Arab  and  the  girl  were  plunged  into  the 
sea. 

A  cry  of  horror  went  up  from  the  Americans, 
and  something  surprisingly  like  a  shout  of 
triumph  from  the  abductors.  Even  as  Brew- 
ster  poised  for  the  spring  into  the  water  a  fly 
ing  form  shot  past  him  and  into  the  sea  with  a 
resounding  splash.  The  man  that  fired  the 
shot  had  reckoned  cleverly,  and  he  was 
carrying  out  the  final  details  of  an  inspired 
plan.  The  Arab's  position  as  he  stood  in  the 
boat  was  such  as  to  warrant  the  sailor's  belief 
that  he  could  fall  no  other  way  than  forward, 
and  that  meant  over  the  side  of  the  boat. 
With  all  this  clearly  in  mind  he  had  shot 
straight  and  true  and  was  on  his  way  to  the 
water  almost  as  the  two  toppled  overboard. 

Monty  Brewster  was  in  the  water  an  instant 
later,  striking  out  for  the  spot  where  they 
had  disappeared,  a  little  to  the  left  of  the 
course  in  which  his  boat  was  running.  There 
was  a  rattle  of  firearms,  with  curses  and  cheers, 


236  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

but  he  paid  no  heed  to  these  sounds.  He  was 
a  length  or  two  behind  the  sailor,  praying  with 
all  his  soul  that  one  or  the  other  might  succeed 
in  reaching  the  white  robes  that  still  kept  the 
surface  of  the  water.  His  crew  was  "backing 
water"  and  straining  every  muscle  to  bring 
the  boat  around  sharp  for  the  rescue. 

The  sailor's  powerful  strokes  brought  him 
to  the  spot  first,  but  not  in  time  to  clutch  the 
disappearing  white  robes.  Just  as  he  reached 
out  an  arm  to  grasp  the  form  of  the  girl  she 
went  down.  He  did  not  hesitate  a  second  but 
followed.  Peggy  had  fallen  from  the  dead 
Arab's  embrace,  and  that  worthy  already  was 
at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  She  was  half  con 
scious  when  the  shot  came,  but  the  plunge 
into  the  cold  water  revived  her.  Her  strug 
gles  were  enough  to  keep  her  up  for  a 
few  moments,  but  not  long  enough  for  the 
swimmers  to  reach  her  side.  She  felt  her 
self  going  down  and  down,  strangling,  smoth 
ering,  dying.  Then  something  vise-like  clutched 
her  arm  and  she  had  the  sensation  of  being 
jerked  upward  violently. 

The  sailor  fought  his  way  to  the  surface  with 
the  girl,  and  Brewster  was  at  his  side  in  an 
instant.  Together  they  supported  her  until 
one  of  the  boats  came  up,  and  they  were  drawn 


THE  RESCUE  OF  PEGGY  237 

over  the  side  to  safety.  By  this  time  the 
abductors  had  scattered  like  sheep  without  a 
leader,  and  as  there  was  no  further  object  in 
pursuing  them  the  little  American  fleet  put 
back  for  the  yacht  in  great  haste.  Peggy  was 
quite  conscious  when  carried  aboard  by  the 
triumphant  Brewster.  The  words  he  whispered 
to  her  as  she  lay  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat 
were  enough  to  give  her  life. 

The  excitement  on  board  the  "Flitter"  was 
boundless.  Fear  gave  way  to  joy,  and  where 
despair  had  for  a  moment  reigned  supreme, 
there  was  now  the  most  insane  delight.  Peggy 
was  bundled  below  and  into  her  berth,  Dr. 
Lotless  attending  her,  assisted  by  all  the 
women  on  board.  Brewster  and  the  sailor, 
drenched  but  happy,  were  carried  on  the 
shoulders  of  enthusiastic  supporters  to  a  place 
where  hot  toddies  were  to  be  had  before 
blankets. 

"You  have  returned  the  favor,  Conroy," 
said  Brewster  fervently,  as  he  leaned  across 
the  heads  of  his  bearers  to  shake  hands  with 
the  sailor  who  was  sharing  the  honors  with 
him.  Conroy  was  grinning  from  ear  to  ear  as 
he  sat  perched  on  the  shoulders  of  his  ship 
mates.  "I  was  luckier  than  I  thought  in  sav 
ing  your  life  that  day." 


238  BREWSTER  S  MILLIONS 

"It  wasn't  anything,  Mr.  Brewster,"  said 
young  Conroy.  "I  saw  a  chance  to  drop  the 
big  nigger,  and  then  it  was  up  to  me  to  get 
her  out  of  the  water." 

"You  took  a  big  risk,  Conroy,  but  you  made 
good  with  it.  If  it  had  not  been  for  you,  my 
boy,  they  might  have  got  away  with  Miss 
Gray." 

"Don't  mention  it,  Mr.  Brewster,  it  was 
nothing  to  do,"  protested  Conroy  in  confu 
sion.  "I'd  do  anything  in  the  world  for  you 
and  for  her." 

"What  is  the  adage  about  casting  your  bread 
upon  the  water  and  getting  it  back  again?" 
asked  "Rip"  Van  Winkle  of  Joe  Bragdon  as 
they  jubilantly  followed  the  procession  below. 

There  was  no  more  sleep  on  board  that 
night.  In  fact  the  sun  was  not  long  in  showing 
himself  after  the  rescuers  returned  to  the  ves 
sel.  The  daring  attempt  of  Mohammed's  emis 
saries  was  discussed  without  restraint,  and 
every  sailor  had  a  story  to  tell  of  the  pursuit 
and  rescue.  The  event  furnished  conversa 
tional  food  for  days  and  days  among  both 
the  seamen  and  the  passengers.  Dan  DeMille 
blamed  himself  relentlessly  for  sleeping  through 
it  all  and  moped  for  hours  because  he  had 
lost  a  magnificent  chance  to  "do  something." 


THE  RESCUE  OF  PEGGY  239 

The  next  morning  he  proposed  to  hunt  for  the 
sheik,  and  offered  to  lead  an  assault  in  person. 
An  investigation  was  made  and  government 
officials  tried  to  call  Mohammed  to  account, 
but  he  had  fled  to  the  desert  arid  the  search 
was  fruitless. 

Brewster  refused  to  accept  a  share  of  the 
glory  of  Peggy's  rescue,  pushing  Conroy  for 
ward  as  the  real  hero.  But  the  sailor  insisted 
that  he  could  not  have  succeeded  without  help, 
—  that  he  was  completely  exhausted  when 
Monty  came  to  the  rescue.  Peggy  found  it 
hard  to  thank  him  gently  while  her  heart  was 
so  dangerously  near  the  riot  point,  and  her 
words  of  gratitude  sounded  pitifully  weak  and 
insufficient. 

"It  would  have  been  the  same  had  anybody 
else  gone  to  her  rescue,"  he  mused  deject 
edly.  "She  cares  for  me  with  the  devotion 
of  a  sister  and  that's  all.  Peggy,  Peggy,"  he 
moaned,  "if  you  could  only  love  me,  I'd — 
I'd — oh,  well,  there's  no  use  thinking  about  it! 
She  will  love  someone  else,  of  course,  and — 
and  be  happy,  too.  If  she'd  appear  only 
one-tenth  as  grateful  to  me  as  to  Conroy  I'd 
be  satisfied.  He  had  the  luck  to  be  first, 
that's  all,  but  God  knows  I  tried  to  do  it." 

Mrs.   Dan  DeMille  was  keen  enough  to  see 


240  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

how  the  land  lay,  and  she  at  once  tried  to  set 
matters  straight.  She  was  far  too  clever  to  push 
her  campaign  ruthlessly,  but  laid  her  founda 
tions  and  then  built  cunningly  and  securely  with 
the  most  substantial  material  that  came  to  hand 
from  day  to  day.  Her  subjects  were  taking 
themselves  too  deeply  to  heart  to  appreciate 
interference  on  the  part  of  an  outsider,  and 
Mrs.  Dan  was  wise  in  the  whims  of  love. 

Peggy  was  not  herself  for  several  days  after 
her  experience,  and  the  whole  party  felt  a 
distinct  relief  when  the  yacht  finally  left  the 
harbor  and  steamed  off  to  the  west.  A  cable 
gram  that  came  the  day  before  may  have  had 
something  to  do  with  Brewster's  depression, 
but  he  was  not  the  sort  to  confess  it.  It  was 
from  Swearengen  Jones,  of  Butte,  Montana, 
and  there  was  something  sinister  in  the  laconic 
admonition.  It  read: 

'•BREWSTER,  U.  S.  CONSULATE,  ALEXANDRIA. 
"Have  a  good  time  while  good  times  last. 

"JONES. " 

His  brain  was  almost  bursting  with  the  hopes 
and  fears  and  uncertainties  that  crowded  it  far 
beyond  its  ordinary  capacity.  It  had  come 
to  the  point,  it  seemed  to  him,  when  the  brains 
of  a  dozen  men  at  least  were  required  to 


THE  RESCUE  OF  PEGGY  241 

operate  the  affairs  that  were  surging  into  his 
alone.  The  mere  fact  that  the  end  of  his  year 
was  less  than  two  months  off,  and  that  there 
was  more  or  less  uncertainty  as  to  the  charac 
ter  of  the  end,  was  sufficient  cause  for  worry, 
but  the  new  trouble  was  infinitely  harder  to 
endure.  When  he  sat  down  to  think  over  his 
financial  enterprises  his  mind  treacherously 
wandered  off  to  Peggy  Gray,  and  then  every 
thing  was  hopeless.  He  recalled  the  courage 
and  confidence  that  had  carried  him  to  Barbara 
Drew  with  a  declaration  of  love — to  the  stun 
ning,  worldly  Barbara — and  smiled  bitterly 
when  he  saw  how  basely  the  two  allies  were 
deserting  him  in  this  hour  of  love  for  Peggy 
Gray.  For  some  reason  he  had  felt  sure  of 
Barbara;  for  another  reason  he  saw  no  chance 
with  Peggy.  She  was  not  the  same  sort — she 
was  different.  She  was — well,  she  was  Peggy. 
Occasionally  his  reflections  assumed  the 
importance  of  calculations.  His  cruise  was 
sure  to  cost  $200,000,  a  princely  sum,  but 
not  enough.  Swearengen  Jones  and  his  cable 
gram  did  not  awe  him  to  a  great  extent. 
The  spending  of  the  million  had  become  a 
mania  with  him  now  and  he  had  no  regard 
for  consequences.  His  one  desire,  aside  from 
Peggy,  was  to  increase  the  cost  of  the  cruise. 


242  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

They  were  leaving  Gibraltar  when  a  new  idea 
came  into  his  troubled  head. 

He  decided  to  change  his  plans  and  sail  for 
the  North  Cape,  thereby  adding  more  than 

),000  to  his  credit. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  MUTINY 

Monty  was  on  deck  when  the  inspiration 
seized  him,  and  he  lost  no  time  in  telling  his 
guests,  who  were  at  breakfast.  Although  he 
had  misgivings  about  their  opinion  of  the 
scheme,  he  was  not  prepared  for  the  ominous 
silence  that  followed  his  announcement. 

"Are  you  in  earnest,  Mr.  Brewster?" 
asked  Captain  Perry,  who  was  the  first  of  the 
company  to  recover  from  the  surprise. 

"Of  course  I  am.  I  chartered  this  boat  for 
four  months  with  the  privilege  of  another 
month.  I  can  see  no  reason  to  prevent  us  from 
prolonging  the  trip."  Monty's  manner  was 
full  of  self-assurance  as  he  continued:  "You 
people  are  so  in  the  habit  of  protesting  against 
every  suggestion  I  make  that  you  can't  help 
doing  it  now." 

"But,  Monty,"  said  Mrs.  Dan,  "what  if 
your  guests  would  rather  go  home?" 

"Nonsense;     you    were    asked    for    a     five 

months'    cruise.      Besides,    think    of    getting 

home  in  the  middle  of  August,  with  everyone 

away.    It  would  be  like  going  to  Philadelphia." 

243 


244  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

Brave  as  he  was  in  the  presence  of  his 
friends,  in  the  privacy  of  his  stateroom 
Monty  gave  way  to  the  depression  that  was 
bearing  down  upon  him.  It  was  the  hardest 
task  of  his  life  to  go  on  with  his  scheme  in 
the  face  of  opposition.  He  knew  that  every 
man  and  woman  on  board  was  against  the 
proposition,  for  his  sake  at  least,  and  it  was 
difficult  to  be  arbitrary  under  the  circum 
stances.  Purposely  he  avoided  Peggy  all  fore 
noon.  His  single  glance  at  her  face  in  the 
salon  was  enough  to  disturb  him  immeas 
urably. 

The  spirits  of  the  crowd  were  subdued.  The 
North  Cape  had  charms,  but  the  proclamation 
concerning  it  had  been  too  sudden — had  re 
versed  too  quickly  the  general  expectation  and 
desire.  Many  of  the  guests  had  plans  at  home 
for  August,  and  even  those  who  had  none  were 
satiated  with  excitement.  During  the  morning 
they  gathered  in  little  knots  to  discuss  the 
situation.  They  were  all  generous  and  each 
one  was  sure  that  he  could  cruise  indefinitely, 
if  on  Monty's  account  the  new  voyage  were  not 
out  of  the  question.  They  felt  it  their  duty  to 
take  a  desperate  stand. 

The  half-hearted  little  gatherings  resolved 
themselves  into  ominous  groups  and  in  the 


THE  MUTINY  245 

end  there  was  a  call  for  a  general  meeting  in 
the  main  cabin.  Captain  Perry,  the  first  mate, 
and  the  chief  engineer  were  included  in  the 
call,  but  Montgomery  Brewster  was  not  to  be 
admitted.  Joe  Bragdon  loyally  agreed  to 
keep  him  engaged  elsewhere  while  the  meeting 
was  in  progress.  The  doors  were  locked  and 
a  cursory  glance  assured  the  chairman  of  the 
meeting,  Dan  DeMille,  that  no  member  of  the 
party  was  missing  save  the  devoted  Bragdon. 
Captain  Perry  was  plainly  nervous  and  dis 
turbed.  The  others  were  the  victims  of  a 
suppressed  energy  that  presaged  subsequent 
eruptions. 

"Captain  Perry,  we  are  assembled  here  for  a 
purpose,"  said  DeMille,  clearing  his  throat 
three  times.  "First  of  all,  as  we  understand 
it,  you  are  the  sailing  master  of  this  ship.  In 
other  words,  you  are,  according  to  maritime 
law,  the  commander  of  this  'expedition.  You 
alone  can  give  orders  to  the  sailors  and  you 
alone  can  clear  a  port.  Mr.  Brewster  has  no 
authority  except  that  vested  in  a  common 
employer.  Am  I  correct?" 

"Mr.  DeMille,  if  Mr.  Brewster  instructs  me 
to  sail  for  the  North  Cape,  I  shall  do  so,"  said 
the  captain,  firmly.  "This  boat  is  his  for  the 
full  term  of  the  lease  and  I  am  engaged  to  sail 


246  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

her  with  my  crew  until  the  tenth  of  next 
September." 

"We  understand  your  position,  captain,  and 
I  am  sure  you  appreciate  ours.  It  isn't  that 
we  want  to  end  a  very  delightful  cruise,  but 
that  we  regard  it  as  sheer  folly  for  Mr.  Brew- 
ster  to  extend  the  tour  at  such  tremendous 
expense.  He  is — or  was — a  rich  man,  but.it  is 
impossible  to  ignore  the  fact  that  he  is  plunging 
much  too  heavily.  In  plain  words,  we  want  to 
keep  him  from  spending  more  of  his  money  on 
this  cruise.  Do  you  understand  our  position, 
Captain  Perry?" 

"Fully.  I  wish  with  all  my  soul  that  I  could 
help  you  and  him.  My  hands  are  tied  by 
contract,  however,  much  as  I  regret  it  at  this 
moment." 

"How  does  the  crew  feel  about  this  addi 
tional  trip,  captain?"  asked  DeMille. 

"They  shipped  for  five  months  and  will 
receive  five  months'  pay.  The  men  have  been 
handsomely  treated  and  they  will  stick  to  Mr. 
Brewster  to  the  end,"  said  the  captain. 

"There  is  no  chance  for  a  mutiny,  then?" 
asked  Smith  regretfully.  The  captain  gave 
him  a  hard  look,  but  said  nothing.  Everybody 
seemed  uncomfortable. 

"Apparently   the  only  way  is  the  one  sug- 


THE  MUTINY  247 

gested  by  Mr.  Smith  this  morning,"  said  Mrs. 
Dan,  speaking  for  the  women.  "No  one  will 
object,  I  am  sure,  if  Captain  Perry  and  his 
chief  officers  are  allowed  to  hear  the  plan." 

"It  is  very  necessary,  in  fact,"  said  Mr. 
Valentine.  "We  cannot  proceed  without  them. 
But  they  will  agree  with  us,  I  am  sure,  that 
it  is  wise." 

An  hour  later  the  meeting  broke  up  and  the 
conspirators  made  their  way  to  the  deck.  It 
was  a  strange  fact  that  no  one  went  alone. 
They  were  in  groups  of  three  and  four  and  the 
mystery  that  hung  about  them  was  almost 
perceptible.  Not  one  was  willing  to  face  the 
excited,  buoyant  Brewster  without  help;  they 
found  strength  and  security  in  companionship. 

Peggy  was  the  one  rebel  against  the  con 
spiracy,  and  yet  she  knew  that  the  others  were 
justified  in  the  step  they  proposed  to  take. 
She  reluctantly  joined  them  in  the  end,  but  felt 
that  she  was  the  darkest  traitor  in  the  crowd. 
Forgetting  her  own  distress  over  the  way  in 
which  Monty  was  squandering  his  fortune,  she 
stood  out  the  one  defender  of  his  rights  until 
the  end  and  then  admitted  tearfully  to  Mrs. 
DeMille  that  she  had  been  "quite  unreason 
able"  in  doing  so. 

Alone  in   her    stateroom    after    signing  the 


248  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

agreement,  she  wondered  what  he  would  think 
of  her.  She  owed  him  so  much  that  she  at 
least  should  have  stood  by  him.  She  felt  that 
he  would  be  conscious  of  this.  How  could  she 
have  turned  against  him?  He  would  not 
understand — of  course  he  would  never  under 
stand.  And  he  would  hate  her  with  the 
others — more  than  the  others.  It  was  all  a 
wretched  muddle  and  she  could  not  see  her 
way  out  of  it. 

Monty  found  his  guests  very  difficult.  They 
listened  to  his  plans  with  but  little  interest, 
and  he  could  not  but  see  that  they  were 
uncomfortable.  The  situation  was  new  to  their 
experience,  and  they  were  under  a  strain. 
"They  mope  around  like  a  lot  of  pouting  boys 
and  girls,"  he  growled  to  himself.  "But  it's 
the  North  Cape  now  in  spite  of  everything. 
I  don't  care  if  the  whole  crowd  deserts  me, 
my  mind  is  made  up." 

Try  as  he  would,  he  could  not  see  Peggy 
alone.  He  had  much  that  he  wanted  to  say  to 
her  and  he  hungered  for  the  consolation  her 
approval  would  bring  him,  but  she  clung  to 
Pettingill  with  a  tenacity  that  was  discourag 
ing.  The  old  feeling  of  jealousy  that  was  con 
nected  with  Como  again  disturbed  him. 

"She  thinks  that  I  am  a  hopeless,  brainless 


THE  MUTINY  249 

idiot,"  he  said  to  himself.  "And  I  don't  blame 
her;  either." 

Just  before  nightfall  he  noticed  that  his 
friends  were  assembling  in  the  bow.  As  he 
started  to  join  the  group  "Subway"  Smith  and 
DeMille  advanced  to  meet  him.  Some  of  the 
others  were  smiling  a  little  sheepishly,  but  the 
two  men  were  pictures  of  solemnity  and 
decision. 

"Monty,"  said  DeMille  steadily,  "we  have 
been  conspiring  against  you  and  have  decided 
that  we  sail  for  New  York  to-morrow  morn- 
ing." 

Brewster  stopped  short  and  the  expression 
on  his  face  was  one  they  never  could  forget. 
Bewilderment,  uncertainty  and  pain  suc 
ceeded  each  other  like  flashes  of  light.  Not  a 
word  was  spoken  for  several  seconds.  The  red 
of  humiliation  slowly  mounted  to  his  cheeks, 
while  in  his  eyes  wavered  the  look  of  one  who 
has  been  hunted  down. 

"You  have  decided?"  he  asked  lifelessly, 
and  more  than  one  heart  went  out  in  pity  to 
him. 

"We  hated  to  do  it,  Monty,  out  for  your 
own  sake  there  was  no  other  way,"  said  "Sub 
way"  Smith  quickly.  "We  took  a  vote  and 
there  wasn't  a  dissenting  voice." 


250  BRE  WSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"It  is  a  plain  case  of  mutiny,  I  take  it,"  said 
Monty,  utterly  alone  and  heart-sick. 

"It  isn't  necessary  to  tell  you  why  we  have 
taken  this  step,"  said  DeMille.  "It  is  heart 
breaking  to  oppose  you  at  this  stage  of  the 
game.  You've  been  the  best  ever  and " 

"Cut  that,"  cried  Monty,  and  his  confidence 
in  himself  was  fast  returning.  "This  is  no 
time  to  throw  bouquets." 

"We  like  you,  Brewster. "  Mr.  Valentine 
came  to  the  chairman's  assistance  because  the 
others  had  looked  at  him  so  appealingly. 
"We  like  you  so  well  that  we  can't  take  the 
responsibility  for  your  extravagance.  It 
would  disgrace  us  all." 

"That  side  of  the  matter  was  never  men 
tioned,"  cried  Peggy  indignantly,  and  then 
added  with  a  catch  in  her  voice,  "We  thought 
only  of  you." 

"I  appreciate  your  motives  and  I  am  grateful 
to  you,"  said  Monty.  "I  am  more  sorry  than 
I  can  tell  you  that  the  cruise  must  end  in  this 
way,  but  I  too  have  decided.  The  yacht  will 
take  you  to  some  point  where  you  can  catch  a 
steamer  to  New  York.  I  shall  secure  passage 
for  the  entire  party  and  very  soon  you  will  be 
at  home.  Captain  Perry,  will  you  oblige  me 
by  making  at  once  for  any  port  that  my  guests 


THE  MUTINY  251 

may  agree  upon?"  He  was  turning  away  de 
liberately  when  "Subway"  Smith  detained  him. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  getting  a  steamer  to 
New  York?  Isn't  the  'Flitter'  good  enough?" 
he  asked. 

"The  'Flitter'  is  not  going  to  New  York  just 
now,"  answered  Brewster  firmly,  "notwith 
standing  your  ultimatum.  She  is  going  to 
take  me  to  the  North  Cape." 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

A  FAIR  TRAITOR 

"Now  will  you  be  good?"  cried  Reggie 
Vanderpool  to  DeMille  as  Monty  went  down 
the  companionway.  The  remark  was  precisely 
what  was  needed,  for  the  pent-up  feelings  of 
the  entire  company  were  now  poured  forth  upon 
the  unfortunate  young  man.  "Subway"  Smith 
was  for  hanging  him  to  the  yard  arm,  and  the 
denunciation  of  the  others  was  so  decisive  that 
Reggie  sought  refuge  in  the  chart  house.  But 
the  atmosphere  had  been  materially  cleared 
and  the  leaders  of  the  mutiny  were  in  a  posi 
tion  to  go  into  executive  session  and  consider 
the  matter.  The  women  waited  on  deck  while 
the  meeting  lasted.  They  were  unanimous  in 
the  opinion  that  the  affair  had  been  badly 
managed. 

"They  should  have  offered  to  stay  by  the 
ship  providing  Monty  would  let  Mr.  DeMille 
manage  the  cruise,"  said  Miss  Valentine. 
"That  would  have  been  a  concession  and  at 
the  same  time  it  would  have  put  the  cruise  on 
an  economical  basis." 

"In   other  words  you   will   accept   a   man's 
252 


A  FAIR  TRAITOR  253 

invitation  to  dinner  if  he  will  allow  you  to 
order  it  and  invite  the  other  guests,"  said 
Peggy,  who  was  quick  to  defend  Monty. 

"Well  that  would  be  better  than  helping  to 
eat  up  every  bit  of  food  he  possessed."  But 
Miss  Valentine  always  avoided  argument  when 
she  could  and  gave  this  as  a  parting  thrust 
before  she  walked  away. 

"There  must  be  something  more  than  we 
know  about  in  Monty's  extravagance,"  said 
Mrs.  Dan.  "He  isn't  the  kind  of  man  to 
squander  his  last  penny  without  having  some 
thing  left  to  show  for  it.  There  must  be 
method  in  his  madness." 

"He  has  done  it  for  us,"  said  Peggy.  "He 
has  devoted  himself  all  along  to  giving  us  a 
good  time  and  now  we  are  showing  our 
gratitude." 

Further  discussion  was  prevented  by  the 
appearance  of  the  conspiring  committee  and 
the  whole  company  was  summoned  to  hear 
DeMille's  report  as  chairman. 

"We  have  found  a  solution  of  our  diffi 
culties,"  he  began,  and  his  manner  was  so 
jubilant  that  everyone  became  hopeful.  "It 
is  desperate  but  I  think  it  will  be  effective. 
Monty  has  given  us  the  privilege  of  leaving 
the  yacht  at  any  port  where  we  can  take  a 


254  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

steamer  to  New  York.  Now,  my  suggestion 
is  that  we  select  the  most  convenient  place 
for  all  of  us,  and  obviously  there  is  nothing 
quite  so  convenient  as  Boston." 

"Dan  DeMille,  you  are  quite  foolish,"  cried 
his  wife.  "Who  ever  conceived  such  a 
ridiculous  idea?" 

."Captain  Perry  has  his  instructions,"  con 
tinued  DeMille,  turning  to  the  captain.  "Are 
we  not  acting  along  the  lines  marked  out  by 
Brewster  himself?" 

"I  will  sail  for  Boston  if  you  say  the  word," 
said  the  thoughtful  captain.  "But  he  is  sure 
to  countermand  such  an  order." 

"He  won't  be  able  to,  captain,"  cried 
"Subway"  Smith,  who  had  for  some  time  been 
eager  to  join  in  the  conversation.  "This  is  a 
genuine,  dyed-in-the-wool  mutiny  and  we 
expect  to  carry  out  the  original  plan,  which 
was  to  put  Mr.  Brewster  in  irons,  until  we  are 
safe  from  all  opposition." 

"He  is  my  friend,  Mr.  Smith,  and  at  least 
it  is  my  duty  to  protect  him  from  any  indig 
nity,"  said  the  captain,  stiffly. 

"You  make  for  Boston,  my  dear  captain, 
and  we'll  do  the  rest,"  said  DeMille.  "Mr. 
Brewster  can't  countermand  your  orders  unless 
he  sees  you  in  person.  We'll  see  to  it  that  he 


A  FAIR  TRAITOR  255 

has  no  chance  to  talk  to  you  until  we  are  in 
sight  of  Boston  Harbor." 

The  captain  looked  doubtful  and  shook  his 
head  as  he  walked  away.  At  heart  he  was 
with  the  mutineers  and  his  mind  was  made  up 
to  assist  them  as  long  as  it  was  possible  to  do 
so  without  violating  his  obligations  to  Brewster. 
He  felt  guilty,  however,  in  surreptitiously 
giving  the  order  to  clear  for  Boston  at  day 
break.  The  chief  officers  were  let  into  the 
secret,  but  the  sailors  were  kept  in  darkness 
regarding  the  destination  of  the  "Flitter." 

Montgomery  Brewster's  guests  were  im 
mensely  pleased  with  the  scheme,  although 
they  were  dubious  about  the  outcome.  Mrs. 
Dan  regretted  her  hasty  comment  on  the  plan 
and  entered  into  the  plot  with  eagerness.  In 
accordance  with  plans  decided  upon  by  the 
mutineers,  Monty's  stateroom  door  was  guarded 
through  the  night  by  two  of  the  men.  The 
next  morning  as  he  emerged  from  his  room, 
he  was  met  by  "Subway"  Smith  and  Dan 
DeMille. 

"Good  morning,"  was  his  greeting.  "How's 
the  weather  to-day?" 

"Bully, "  answered  DeMille.  "By  the  way, 
you  are  going  to  have  breakfast  in  your  room, 
old  man. " 


256  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

Brewster  unsuspectingly  led  the  way  into 
his  stateroom,  the  two  following. 

"What's  the  mystery?"  he  demanded. 

"We've  been  deputized  to  do  some  very 
nasty  work,"  said  "Subway"  as  he  turned  the 
key  in  the  door.  "We  are  here  to  tell  you 
what  port  we  have  chosen." 

"It's  awfully  good  of  you  to  tell  me." 

"Yes,  isn't  it?  But  we  have  studied  up  on 
the  chivalrous  treatment  of  prisoners.  We 
have  decided  on  Boston." 

"Is  there  a  Boston  on  this  side  of  the  water?" 
asked  Monty  in  mild  surprise. 

"No;  there  is  only  one  Boston  in  the  uni 
verse,  so  far  as  we  know.  It  is  a  large  body  of 
intellect  surrounded  by  the  rest  of  the  world." 

"What  the  devil  are  you  talking  about? 
You  don't  mean  Boston,  Massachusetts?"  cried 
Monty,  leaping  to  his  feet. 

"Precisely.  That's  the  port  for  us  and  you 
told  us  to  choose  for  ourselves,"  said  Smith. 

"Well,  I  won't  have  it,  that's  all,  "  exclaimed 
Brewster,  indignantly.  "Captain  Perry  takes 
orders  from  me  and  from  no  one  else." 

"He  already  has  his  orders,"  said  DeMille, 
smiling  mysteriously. 

"I'll  see  about  that.  Brewster  sprang  to  the 
door.  It  was  locked  and  the  key  was  in  "Sub- 


A  FAIR  TRAITOR  257 

way"  Smith's  pocket.  With  an  impatient 
exclamation  he  turned  and  pressed  an  electric 
button. 

"It  won't  ring,  Monty,"  explained  "Sub 
way."  "The  wire  has  been  cut.  Now,  be 
cool  for  a  minute  or  two  and  we'll  talk  it  over. " 

Brewster  stormed  for  five  minutes,  the 
"delegation"  sitting  calmly  by,  smiling  with 
exasperating  confidence.  At  last  he  calmed 
down  and  in  terms  of  reason  demanded  an 
explanation.  He  was  given  to  understand 
that  the  yacht  would  sail  for  Boston  and  that 
he  would  be  kept  a  prisoner  for  the  entire 
voyage  unless  he  submitted  to  the  will  of  the 
majority. 

Brewster  listened  darkly  to  the  proclamation. 
He  saw  that  they  had  gained  the  upper  hand 
by  a  clever  ruse,  and  that  only  strategy  on 
his  part  could  outwit  them.  It  was  out  of 
the  question  for  him  to  submit  to  them  now 
that  the  controversy  had  assumed  the  dignity 
of  a  struggle. 

"But  you  will  be  reasonable,  won't  you?" 
asked  DeMille,  anxiously. 

"I  intend  to  fight  it  out  to  the  bitter  end," 
said  Brewster,  his  eyes  flashing.  "At  present 
I  am  your  prisoner,  but  it  is  a  long  way  to 
Boston." 


258  SREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

For  three  days  and  two  nights  the  "Flitter" 
steamed  westward  into  the  Atlantic,  with  her 
temporary  owner  locked  into  his  stateroom. 
The  confinement  was  irksome,  but  he  rather 
liked  the  sensation  of  being  interested  in 
something  besides  money.  He  frequently 
laughed  to  himself  over  the  absurdity  of  the 
situation.  His  enemies  were  friends,  true  and 
devoted;  his  gaolers  were  relentless  but  they 
were  considerate.  The  original  order  that  he 
should  be  guarded  by  one  man  was  violated  on 
the  first  day.  There  were  times  when  his 
guard  numbered  at  least  ten  persons  and  some 
of  them  served  tea  and  begged  him  to  listen 
to  reason. 

"It  is  difficult  not  to  listen,"  he  said  fiercely. 
"It's  like  holding  a  man  down  and  then 
asking  him  to  be  quiet.  But  my  time  is 
coming." 

"Revenge  will  be  his!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Dan, 
tragically. 

"You  might  have  your  term  shortened  on 
account  of  good  conduct  if  you  would  only 
behave,"  suggested  Peggy,  whose  reserve  was 
beginning  to  soften.  "Please  be  good  and  give 
in." 

"I  haven't  been  happier  during  the  whole 
cruise,"  said  Monty.  "On  deck  I  wouldn't 


A  FAIR   TRAITOR  259 

be  noticed,  but  here  I  am  quite  the  whole 
thing.  Besides  I  can  get  out  whenever  I  feel 
like  it." 

"I  have  a  thousand  dollars  which  says  you 
can't,"  said  DeMille,  and  Monty  snapped 
him  up  so  eagerly  that  he  added,  "that  you 
can't  get  out  of  your  own  accord." 

Monty  acceded  to  the  condition  and  offered 
odds  on  the  proposition  to  the  others,  but 
there  were  no  takers. 

"That  settles  it,"  he  smiled  grimly  to  him 
self.  "I  can  make  a  thousand  dollars  by  stay 
ing  here  and  I  can't  afford  to  escape." 

On  the  third  day  of  Monty's  imprisonment 
the  "Flitter"  began  to  roll  heavily.  At  first 
he  gloated  over  the  discomfort  of  his  guards 
who  obviously  did  not  like  to  stay  below. 
"Subway"  Smith  and  Bragdon  were  on  duty 
and  neither  was  famous  as  a  good  sailor. 
When  Monty  lighted  his  pipe  there  was  con 
sternation  and  "Subway"  rushed  on  deck. 

"You  are  a  brave  man,  Joe,"  Monty  said  to 
the  other  and  blew  a  cloud  of  smoke  in  his 
direction.  "I  knew  you  would  stick  to  your 
post.  You  wouldn't  leave  it  even  if  the  ship 
should  go  down." 

Bragdon  had  reached  the  stage  where  he 
dared  not  speak  and  was  busying  himself  try- 


260  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

ing  to  "breathe  with  the  motion  of  the  boat" 
as  he  had  called  it. 

"By  Gad,"  continued  Monty,  relentlessly. 
"This  smoke  is  getting  thick.  Some  of  this 
toilet  water  might  help  if  I  sprinkled  it  about. " 

One  whiff  of  the  sweet-smelling  cologne 
was  enough  for  Bragdon  and  he  bolted  up  the 
companionway,  leaving  the  stateroom  door 
wide  open  and  the  prisoner  free  to  go  where  he 
pleased.  Monty's  first  impulse  was  to  follow 
but  he  checked  himself  on  the  threshold. 

"Damn  that  bet  with  DeMille, "  he  said  to 
himself,  and  added  aloud  to  the  fleeing  guard, 
"The  key,  Joe,  I  dare  you  to  come  back  and 
get  it!" 

But  Bragdon  was  beyond  recall  and  Monty 
locked  the  door  on  the  inside  and  passed  the 
key  through  the  ventilator. 

On  deck  a  small  part  of  the  company  braved 
the  spray  in  the  lee  of  the  deck  house,  but  the 
others  had  long  since  gone  below.  The  boat 
was  pitching  furiously  in  the  ugliest  sea  it 
had  encountered,  and  there  was  anxiety  under 
neath  Captain  Perry's  mask  of  unconcern. 
DeMille  and  Dr.  Lotless  talked  in  the  senseless 
way  men  have  when  they  try  to  conceal  their 
nervousness.  But  the  women  did  not  respond; 
they  were  in  no  mood  for  conversation. 


A  FAIR  TRAITOR  261 

Only  one  of  them  was  quite  oblivious  to 
personal  discomfort  and  danger.  Peggy  Gray 
was  thinking  of  the  prisoner  below.  In  a  re 
flection  of  her  own  terror,  she  pictured  him 
crouching  in  the  little  stateroom,  like  a  doomed 
criminal  awaiting  execution,  alone,  neglected, 
forgotten,  unpitied.  At  first  she  pleaded  with 
the  men  for  his  release,  but  they  insisted  upon 
waiting  in  the  hope  that  a  scare  might  bring 
him  to  his  senses.  Peggy  saw  that  no  help  was 
to  be  secured  from  the  other  women,  much  as 
they  might  care  for  Brewster's  peace  of  mind 
and  safety.  Her  heart  was  bitter  toward 
everyone  responsible  for  the  situation,  and 
there  was  dark  rebellion  in  her  soul.  It  cul 
minated  finally  in  a  resolve  to  release  Monty 
Brewster  at  any  cost. 

With  difficulty  she  made  her  way  to  the 
stateroom  door,  clinging  to  supports  at  times 
and  then  plunging  violently  away  from  them. 
For  some  minutes  she  listened,  frantically 
clutching  Brewster's  door  and  the  wall-rail. 
There  was  no  guard,  and  the  tumult  of  the  sea 
drowned  every  sound  within.  Her  imagination 
ran  riot  when  her  repeated  calls  were  not 
answered. 

"Monty,  Monty, "  she  cried,  pounding  wildly 
on  the  door. 


262  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"Who  is  it?  What  is  the  trouble?"  came  in 
muffled  tones  from  within,  and  Peggy  breathed 
a  prayer  of  thanks.  Just  then  she  discovered 
the  key  which  Monty  had  dropped  and  quickly 
opened  the  door,  expecting  to  find  him  cower 
ing  with  fear.  But  the  picture  was  different. 
The  prisoner  was  seated  on  the  divan,  propped 
up  with  many  pillows  and  reading  with  the  aid 
of  an  electric  light  "The  Intrusions  of  Peggy.  " 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

A  CATASTROPHE 

"Oh!"  was  Peggy's  only  exclamation,  and 
there  was  a  shadow  of  disappointment  in  her 
eyes. 

"Come  in,  Peggy,  and  I'll  read  aloud,"  was 
Monty's  cheerful  greeting  as  he  stood  before 
her. 

"No,  I  must  go,"  said  Peggy,  confusedly. 
"I  thought  you  might  be  nervous  about  the 
storm — and — " 

"And  you  came  to  let  me  out?"  Monty  had 
never  been  so  happy. 

"Yes,  and  I  don't  care  what  the  others  say. 
I  thought  you  were  suffering — "  But  at  that 
moment  the  boat  gave  a  lurch  which  threw 
her  across  the  threshold  into  Monty's  arms. 
They  crashed  against  the  wall,  and  he  held 
her  a  moment  and  forgot  the  storm.  When 
she  drew  away  from  him  she  showed  him  the 
open  door  and  freedom.  She  could  not  speak. 

"Where  are  the  others?"  he  asked,  bracing 
himself  in  the  doorway. 

"Oh,  Monty,"  she  cried,    "we  must  not  go 
to  them.     They  will  think  me  a  traitor." 
263 


264  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"Why  were  you  a  traitor,  Peggy?"  he 
demanded,  turning  toward  her  suddenly. 

"Oh — oh,  because  it  seemed  so  cruel  to  keep 
you  locked  up  through  the  storm,"  she  an 
swered,  blushing. 

"And  there  was  no  other  reason?"  he 
persisted. 

"Don't,  please  don't!"  she  cried,  piteously, 
and  he  misunderstood  her  emotion.  It  was 
clear  that  she  was  merely  sorry  for  him. 

"Never  mind,  Peggy,  it's  all  right.  You 
stood  by  me  and  I'll  stand  by  you.  Come  on; 
we'll  face  the  mob  and  I'll  do  the  fighting." 

Together  they  made  their  way  into  the 
presence  of  the  mutineers,  who  were  crowded 
into  the  main  cabin. 

"Well,  here's  a  conspiracy,"  cried  'Dan 
DeMille,  but  there  was  no  anger  in  his  voice. 
"How  did  you  escape?  I  was  just  thinking  of 
unlocking  your  door,  Monty,  but  the  key 
seemed  to  be  missing." 

Peggy  displayed  it  triumphantly. 

"By  Jove,"  cried  Dan.  "This  is  rank 
treachery.  Who  was  on  guard?" 

A  steward  rushing  through  the  cabin  at 
this  moment  in  answer  to  frantic  calls  from 
Bragdon  furnished  an  eloquent  reply  to  the 
question. 


A  CATASTROPHE  265 

"It  was  simple,"  said  Monty.  "The  guards 
deserted  their  post  and  left  the  key  behind." 

"Then  it  is  up  to  me  to  pay  you  a  thousand 
dollars." 

"Not  at  all,"  protested  Monty,  taken  aback. 
"I  did  not  escape  of  my  own  accord.  I  had 
help.  The  money  is  yours.  And  now  that  I 
am  free,"  he  added,  quietly,  "let  me  say  that 
this  boat  does  not  go  to  Boston." 

"Just  what  I  expected,"  cried  Vanderpool. 

"She's  going  straight  to  New  York!"  declared 
Monty.  The  words  were  hardly  uttered  when 
a  heavy  sea  sent  him  sprawling  across  the  cabin 
and  he  concluded,  "or  to  the  bottom." 

"Not  so  bad  as  that,"  said  Captain  Perry, 
whose  entrance  had  been  somewhat  hastened  by 
the  lurch  of  the  boat.  "But  until  this  blows 
over  I  must  keep  you  below."  He  laughed 
but  he  saw  they  were  not  deceived.  "The  seas 
are  pretty  heavy  and  the  decks  are  being  holy 
stoned  for  nothing,  but  I  wouldn't  like  to  have 
any  of  you  washed  overboard  by  mistake." 

The  hatches  were  battened  down,  and  it  was 
a  sorry  company  that  tried  to  while  away  the 
evening  in  the  main  cabin.  Monty's  chaffing 
about  the  advantages  of  the  North  Cape  over 
the  stormy  Atlantic  was  not  calculated  to  raise 
the  drooping  spirits,  and  it  was  very  early 


266  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

when  he  and  his  shattered  guests  turned  in. 
There  was  little  sleep  on  board  the  "Flitter" 
that  night.  Even  if  it  had  been  easy  to  forget 
the  danger,  the  creaking  of  the  ship  and  the 
incessant  roar  of  the  water  were  enough  for 
wakefulness.  With  each  lurch  of  the  boat  it 
seemed  more  incredible  that  it  could  endure. 
It  was  such  a  mite  of  a  thing  to  meet  so  furious 
an  attack.  .As  it  rose  on  the  wave  to  pause  in 
terror  on  its  crest  before  sinking  shivering  into 
the  trough,  it  made  the  breath  come  short  and 
the  heart  stand  still.  Through  the  night  the 
fragile  little  craft  fought  its  lonely  way,  bravely 
ignoring  its  own  weakness  and  the  infinite 
strength  of  its  enemy.  To  the  captain,  lashed 
to  the  bridge,  there  were  hours  of  grave 
anxiety — hours  when  he  feared  each  wave  as 
it  approached,  and  wondered  what  new  damage 
it  had  done  as  it  receded.  As  the  wind 
increased  toward  morning  he  felt  a  sickening 
certainty  that  the  brave  little  boat  was  beaten. 
Somehow  she  seemed  to  lose  courage,  to  waver 
a  bit  and  almost  give  up  the  fight.  He  watched 
her  miserably  as  the  dismal  dawn  came  up  out 
of  the  sea.  Yet  it  was  not  until  seven  o'clock 
that  the  crash  came,  which  shook  the  passen 
gers  out  of  their  berths  and  filled  them  with 
shivering  terror.  The  whirling  of  the  broken 


A  CATASTROPHE  267 

shaft  seemed  to  consume  the  ship.  In  every 
cabin  it  spoke  with  horrible  vividness  of 
disaster.  The  clamor  of  voices  and  the  rush  of 
many  feet,  which  followed,  meant  but  one 
thing.  Almost  instantly  the  machinery  was 
stopped — an  ominous  silence  in  the  midst  of 
the  dull  roar  of  the  water  and  the  cry  of  the  wind. 

It  was  a  terrified  crowd  that  quickly  gathered 
in  the  main  cabin,  but  it  was  a  brave  one. 
There  were  no  cries  and  few  tears.  They 
expected  anything  and  were  ready  for  the 
worst,  but  they  would  not  show  the  white 
feather.  It  was  Mrs.  Dan  who  broke  the 
tension.  "I  made  sure  of  my  pearls,"  she 
said;  "I  thought  they  would  be  appreciated  at 
the  bottom  of  the  sea." 

Brewster  came  in  upon  their  laughter.  "I 
like  your  nerve,  people,"  he  exclaimed,  "you 
are  all  right.  It  won't  be  so  bad  now.  The 
wind  has  dropped." 

Long  afterward  when  they  talked  the  matter 
over,  DeMille  claimed  that  the  only  thing  that 
bothered  him  that  night  was  the  effort  to  decide 
whether  the  club  of  which  he  and  Monty  were 
members  would  put  in  the  main  hallway  two 
black-bordered  cards,  each  bearing  a  name,  or 
only  one  with  both  names.  Mr.  Valentine 
regretted  that  he  had  gone  on  for  years  paying 


268  SREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

life  insurance  premiums  when  now  his  only 
relatives  were  on  the  boat  and  would  die  with 
him. 

The  captain,  looking  pretty  rocky  after  his 
twenty-hour  vigil,  summoned  his  chief.  "We're 
in  a  bad  hole,  Mr.  Brewster,"  he  said  when 
they  were  alone,  "and  no  mistake.  A  broken 
shaft  and  this  weather  make  a  pretty  poor 
combination." 

"Is  there  no  chance  of  making  a  port  for 
repairs?" 

"I  don't  see  it,  sir.     It  looks  like  a  long  pull." 

"We  are  way  off  our  course,  I  suppose?" 
and  Monty's  coolness  won  Captain  Perry's 
admiration. 

"I  can't  tell  just  how  much  until  I  get  the 
sun,  but  this  wind  is  hell.  I  suspect  we've 
drifted  pretty  far." 

"Come  and  get  some  coffee,  captain.  While 
the  storm  lasts  the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  cheer 
up  the  women  and  trust  to  luck." 

"You  are  the  nerviest  mate  I  ever  shipped 
with,  Mr.  Brewster,"  and  the  captain's  hand 
gripped  Monty's  in  a  way  that  meant  things. 
It  was  a  tribute  he  appreciated. 

During  the  day  Monty  devoted  himself  to 
his  guests,  and  at  the  first  sign  of  pensiveness 
he  was  ready  with  a  jest  or  a  story.  But  he 


A  CATASTROPHE  269 

did  it  all  with  a  tact  that  inspired  the  crowd  as 
a  whole  with  hope,  and  no  one  suspected  that 
he  himself  was  not  cheerful.  For  Peggy  Gray 
there  was  a  special  tenderness,  and  he  made  up 
his  mind  that  if  things  should  go  wrong  he 
would  tell  her  that  he  loved  her. 

"It  could  do  no  harm,"  he  thought  to  him 
self,  "and  I  want  her  to  know." 

Toward  night  the  worst  was  over.  The  sea 
had  gone  down  and  the  hatches  were  opened 
for  a  while  to  admit  air,  though  it  was  still 
too  rough  to  venture  out.  The  next  morn 
ing  was  bright  and  clear.  When  the  com 
pany  gathered  on  deck  the  havoc  created  by 
the  storm  was  apparent.  Two  of  the  boats  had 
been  completely  carried  away  and  the  launch 
was  rendered  useless  by  a  large  hole  in  the  stern. 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  that  we  will  drift 
about  until  the  repairs  can  be  made?"  asked 
Mrs.  Dan  in  alarm. 

"We  are  three  hundred  miles  off  the  course 
already,"  explained  Monty,  "and  it  will  be 
pretty  slow  traveling  under  sail." 

It  was  decided  to  make  for  the  Canary 
Islands,  where  repairs  could  be  made  and  the 
voyage  resumed.  But  where  the  wind  had 
raged  a  few  days  before,  it  had  now  disap 
peared  altogether,  and  for  a  week  the  "Flitter'' 


270  BRE  WSTER'S  MILLIONS 

tossed  about  absolutely  unable  to  make  head 
way.  The  first  of  August  had  arrived  and 
Monty  himself  was  beginning^  to  be  nervous. 
With  the  fatal  day  not  quite  two  months 
away,  things  began  to  look  serious.  Over  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  would  remain  after 
he  had  settled  the  expenses  of  the  cruise,  and 
he  was  helplessly  drifting  in  mid-ocean.  Even  if 
the  necessary  repairs  could  be  made  promptly, 
it  would  take  the  "Flitter"  fourteen  days  to 
sail  from  the  Canaries  to  New  York.  Figure 
as  hard  as  he  could  he  saw  no  way  out  of  the 
unfortunate  situation.  Two  days  more  elapsed 
and  still  no  sign  of  a  breeze.  He  made  sure 
that  September  23d  would  find  him  still  drift 
ing  and  still  in  possession  of  one  hundred 
thousand  superfluous  dollars. 

At  the  end  of  ten  days  the  yacht  had  pro 
gressed  but  two  hundred  miles  and  Monty  was 
beginning  to  plan  the  rest  of  his  existence  on 
a  capital  of  $100,000.  He  had  given  up  all 
hope  of  the  Sedgwick  legacy  and  was  trying  to 
be  resigned  to  his  fate,  when  a  tramp  steamer 
was  suddenly  sighted.  Brewster  ordered  the 
man  on  watch  to  fly  a  flag  of  distress.  Then 
he  reported  to  the  captain  and  told  what  he 
had  done.  With  a  bound  the  captain  rushed 
on  deck  and  tore  the  flag  from  the  sailor's  hand. 


A  CATASTROPHE  271 

"That  was  my  order,"  said  Monty,  nettled 
at  the  captain's  manner. 

"You  want  them  to  get  a  line  on  us  and 
claim  salvage,  do  you?" 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"If  they  get  a  line  on  us  in  response  to  that 
flag  they  will  claim  the  entire  value  of  the 
ship  as  salvage.  You  want  to  spend  another 
$200,000  on  this  boat?" 

"I  didn't  understand,"  said  Monty,  sheep 
ishly.  "But  for  God's  sake,  fix  it  up  somehow. 
Can't  they  tow  us?  I'll  pay  for  it." 

Communication  was  slow,  but  after  an 
apparently  endless  amount  of  signaling,  the 
captain  finally  announced  that  the  freight 
steamer  was  bound  for  Southampton  and  would 
tow  the  "Flitter"  to  that  point  for  a  price. 

"Back  to  Southampton!"  groaned  Monty. 
"That  means  months  before  we  get  back  to 
New  York.'8 

"He  says  he  can  get  us  to  Southampton  in 
ten  days,"  interrupted  the  captain. 

"I  can  do  it,  I  can  do  it,"  he  cried,  to  the 
consternation  of  his  guests  who  wondered  if  his 
mind  were  affected.  "If  he'll  land  us  in 
Southampton  by  the  27th,  I'll  pay  him  up  to 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE  PRODIGALS  RETURN 

After  what  seemed  an  age  to  Monty,  the 
"Flitter,"  in  tow  of  the  freighter  "Glencoe," 
arrived  at  Southampton.  The  captain  of  the 
freight  boat  was  a  thrifty  Scotchman  whose 
ship  was  traveling  with  a  light  cargo  and  he 
was  not,  therefore,  averse  to  taking  on  a  tow. 
But  the  thought  of  salvage  had  caused  him  to 
ask  a  high  price  for  the  service  and  Monty, 
after  a  futile  attempt  at  bargaining,  had  agreed. 
The  price  was  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  the 
young  man  believed  more  than  ever  that  every 
thing  was  ruled  by  a  wise  Providence,  which 
had  not  deserted  him.  His  guests  were  heart 
sick  when  they  heard  the  figure,  but  were  as 
happy  as  Monty  at  the  prospect  of  reaching 
land  again. 

The  "Glencoe"  made  several  stops  before 
Southampton  was  finally  reached  on  the  28th 
of  August,  but  when  the  English  coast  was 
sighted  everyone  was  too  eager  to  go  ashore 
to  begrudge  the  extra  day.  Dan  DeMille 
asked  the  entire  party  to  become  his  guests 


THE  PRODIGALS  RETURN  273 

for  a  week's  shooting  trip  in  Scotland,  but 
Monty  vetoed  the  plan  in  the  most  decided 
manner. 

"We  sail  for  New  York  on  the  fastest  boat," 
said  Monty,  and  hurried  off  to  learn  the  sail 
ings  and  book  his  party.  The  first  boat  was  to 
sail  on  the  3Oth  and  he  could  only  secure 
accommodations  for  twelve  of  his  guests.  The 
rest  were  obliged  to  follow  a  week  later.  This 
was  readily  agreed  to  and  Bragdon  was  left  to 
see  to  the  necessary  repairs  on  the  "Flitter" 
and  arrange  for  her  homeward  voyage.  Monty 
gave  Bragdon  fifteen  thousand  dollars  for  this 
purpose  and  extracted  a  solemn  promise  that 
the  entire  amount  would  be  used. 

"But  it  won't  cost  half  of  this,"  protested 
Bragdon 

"You  will  have  to  give  these  people  a  good 
time  during  the  week  and — well — you  have 
promised  that  I  shall  never  see  another  penny 
of  it.  Some  day  you'll  know  why  I  do  this, " 
and  Monty  felt  easier  when  his  friend  agreed  to 
abide  by  his  wishes. 

He  discharged  the  "Flitter's"  crew,  with 
five  months'  pay  and  the  reward  promised  on 
the  night  of  Peggy's  rescue,  which  was  pro 
ductive  of  touching  emotions.  Captain  Perry 
and  his  officers  never  forgot  the  farewell  of 


274  BRBWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

the  prodigal,  nor  could  they  hide  the  regret 
that  marked  their  weather-beaten  faces. 

Plans  to  dispose  of  his  household  goods  and 
the  balance  of  his  cash  in  the  short  time  that 
would  be  left  after  he  arrived  in  New  York 
occupied  Monty's  attention,  and  most  men 
would  have  given  up  the  scheme  as  hopeless. 
But  he  did  not  despair.  He  was  still  game, 
and  he  prepared  for  the  final  plunge  with  grim 
determination. 

"There  should  have  been  a  clause  in  Jones's 
conditions  about  'weather  permitting,'  "  he 
said  to  himself.  "A  shipwrecked  mariner 
should  not  be  expected  to  spend  a  million 
dollars." 

The  division  of  the  party  for  the  two  sailings 
was  tactfully  arranged  by  Mrs.  DeMille.  The 
Valentines  chaperoned  the  "second  table"  as 
"Subway"  Smith  called  those  who^were  to  take 
the  later  boat,  and  she  herself  looked  after  the 
first  lot.  Peggy  Gray  and  Monty  Brewster 
were  in  the  DeMille  party.  The  three  days  in 
England  were  marked  by  unparalleled  extrav 
agance  on  Monty's  part.  One  of  the  local 
hotels  was  subsidized  for  a  week,  although  the 
party  only  stayed  for  luncheon,  and  the  Cecil 
in  London  was  a  gainer  by  several  thousand 
dollars  for  the  brief  stop  there.  It  was  a 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN  275 

careworn  little  band  that  took  Monty's  special 
train  for  Southampton  and  embarked  two  days 
later.  The  "rest  cure"  that  followed  was 
welcome  to  all  of  them  and  Brewster  was 
especially  glad  that  his  race  was  almost 
run. 

Swiftly  and  steadily  the  liner  cut  down  the 
leagues  that  separated  her  from  New  York. 
Fair  weather  and  fair  cheer  marked  her  course, 
and  the  soft,  balmy  nights  were  like  seasons 
of  fairyland.  Monty  was  cherishing  in  his 
heart  the  hope  inspired  by  Peggy's  action  on 
the  night  of  the  storm.  Somehow  it  brought 
a  small  ray  of  light  to  his  clouded  understand 
ing  and  he  found  joy  in  keeping  the  flame 
alive  religiously  if  somewhat  doubtfully.  His 
eyes  followed  her  constantly,  searching  for  the 
encouragement  that  the  very  blindness  of  love 
had  hidden  from  him,  forever  tormenting  him 
self  with  fears  and  hopes  and  fears  again.  Her 
happiness  and  vivacity  puzzled  him — he  was 
often  annoyed,  he  was  now  and  then  seriously 
mystified. 

Four  days  out  from  New  York,  then  three 
days,  then  two  days,  and  then  Brewster  began 
to  feel  the  beginning  of  the  final  whirlwind  in 
profligacy  clouding  him  oppressively,  omi 
nously,  unkindly.  Down  in  his  state  room  he 


276  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

drew  new  estimates,  new  calculations,  and  tried 
to  balance  the  old  ones  so  that  they  appeared 
in  the  light  most  favorable  to  his  designs. 
Going  over  the  statistics  carefully,  he  estimated 
that  the  cruise,  including  the  repairs  and  the 
return  of  the  yacht  to  New  York,  would  cost 
him  $210,000  in  round  figures.  One  hundred 
and  thirty-three  days  marked  the  length  of  the 
voyage  when  reckoned  by  time  and,  as  near  as 
he  could  get  at  it,  the  expense  had  averaged 
$1,580  a  day.  According  to  the  contract,  he 
was  to  pay  for  the  yacht,  exclusive  of  the 
cuisine  and  personal  service.  And  he  had 
found  it  simple  enough  to  spend  the  remaining 
$1,080.  There  were  days,  of  course,  when 
fully  $5,000  disappeared,  and  there  were  others 
on  which  he  spent  much  less  than  $1,000,  but 
the  average  was  secure.  Taking  everything 
into  consideration,  Brewster  found  that  his 
fortune  had  dwindled  to  a  few  paltry  thousands 
in  addition  to  the  proceeds  which  would  come 
to  him  from  the  sale  of  his  furniture.  On  the 
whole  he  was  satisfied. 

The  landing  in  New  York  and  the  separation 
which  followed  were  not  entirely  merry.  Every 
discomfort  was  forgotten  and  the  travelers  only 
knew  that  the  most  wonderful  cruise  since  that 
of  the  ark  had  come  to  an  end.  There  was  not 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN  277 

one  who  would  not  have  been  glad  to  begin  it 
again  the  next  day. 

Immediately  after  the  landing  Brewster  and 
Gardner  were  busy  with  the  details  of  settle 
ment.  After  clearing  up  all  of  the  obligations 
arising  from  the  cruise,  they  felt  the  appro 
priateness  of  a  season  of  reflection.  It  was  a 
difficult  moment — a  moment  when  undelivered 
reproofs  were  in  the  air.  But  Gardner  seemed 
much  the  more  melancholy  of  the  two. 

Piles  of  newspapers  lay  scattered  about  the 
floor  of  the  room  in  which  they  sat.  Every  one 
of  them  contained  sensational  stories  of  the 
prodigal's  trip,  with  pictures,  incidents  and 
predictions.  Monty  was  pained,  humiliated 
and  resentful,  but  he  was  honest  enough  to 
admit  the  justification  of  much  that  was  said 
of  him.  He  read  bits  of  it  here  and  there  and 
then  threw  the  papers  aside  hopelessly.  In 
a  few  weeks  they  would  tell  another  story,  and 
quite  as  emphatically. 

"The  worst  of  it,  Monty,  is  that  you  are  the 
next  thing  to  being  a  poor  man,"  groaned 
Gardner.  "I've  done  my  best  to  economize 
for  you  here  at  home,  as  you'll  see  by  these 
figures,  but  nothing  could  possibly  balance 
the  extravagances  of  this  voyage.  They  are 
simply  appalling." 


278  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

With  the  condemnation  of  his  friends  ringing 
in  his  troubled  brain,  with  the  sneers  of 
acquaintances  to  distress  his  pride,  with  the 
jibes  of  the  comic  papers  to  torture  him 
remorselessly,  Brewster  was  fast  becoming  the 
most  miserable  man  in  New  York.  Friends  of 
former  days  gave  him  the  cut  direct,  clubmen 
ignored  .him  or  scorned  him  openly,  women 
chilled  him  with  the  iciness  of  unspoken 
reproof,  and  all  the  world  was  hung  with  shad 
ows.  The  doggedness  of  despair  kept  him  up, 
but  the  strain  that  pulled  down  on  him  was  so  re 
lentless  that  the  struggle  was  losing  its  equality. 
He  had  not  expected  such  a  home-coming. 

Compared  with  his  former  self,  Monty  was 
now  almost  a  physical  wreck,  haggard,  thin 
and  defiant,  a  shadow  of  the  once  debonair 
young  New  Yorker,  an  object  of  pity  and  scorn. 
Ashamed  and  despairing,  he  had  almost  lacked 
the  courage  to  face  Mrs.  Gray.  The  consola 
tion  he  once  gained  through  her  he  now  denied 
himself  and  his  suffering,  peculiar  as  it  was, 
was  very  real.  In  absolute  recklessness  he 
gave  dinner  after  dinner,  party  after  party,  all 
on  a  most  lavish  scale,  many  of  his  guests 
laughing  at  him  openly  while  they  enjoyed  his 
hospitality.  The  real  friends  remonstrated, 
pleaded,  did  everything  within  their  power  to 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN  279 

check  his  awful  rush  to  poverty,  but  without 
success;  he  was  not  to  be  stopped. 

At  last  the  furniture  began  to  go,  then  the 
plate,  then  all  the  priceless  bric-a-brac.  Piece 
by  piece  it  disappeared  until  the  apartments 
were  empty  and  he  had  squandered  almost  all 
of  the  $40,350  arising  from  the  sales.  The 
servants  were  paid  off,  the  apartments  relin 
quished,  and  he  was  beginning  to  know  what 
it  meant  to  be  "on  his  uppers."  At  the  banks 
he  ascertained  that  the  interest  on  his  moneys 
amounted  to  $19,140.86.  A  week  before  the 
23d  of  September,  the  whole  million  was  gone, 
including  the  amounts  won  in  Lumber  and 
Fuel  and  other  luckless  enterprises.  He  still 
had  about  $17,000  of  his  interest  money  in  the 
banks,  but  he  had  a  billion  pangs  in  his  heart — 
the  interest  on  his  improvidence. 

He  found  some  delight  in  the  discovery  that 
the  servants  had  robbed  him  of  not  less  than 
$3,500  worth  of  his  belongings,  including  the 
Christmas  presents  that  he  in  honor  could  not 
have  sold.  His  only  encouragement  came 
from  Grant  and  Ripley,  the  lawyers.  They 
inspired  confidence  in  his  lagging  brain  by 
urging  him  on  to  the  end,  promising  brightness 
thereafter.  Swearengen  Jones  was  as  mute  as 
the  mountains  in  which  he  lived.  There  was 


280  BRE  WSTER'S  MILLIONS 

no  word  from  him,  there  was  no  assurance  that 
he  would  approve  of  what  had  been  done  to 
obliterate  Edwin  Peter  Brewster's  legacy. 

Dan  DeMille  and  his  wife  implored  Monty  to 
come  with  them  to  the  mountains  before  his 
substance  was  gone  completely.  The  former 
offered  him  money,  employment,  rest  and 
security  if  he  would  abandon  the  course  he  was 
pursuing.  Up  in  Fortieth  Street  Peggy  Gray 
was  grieving  her  heart  out  and  he  knew  it. 
Two  or  three  of  those  whom  he  had  considered 
friends  refused  to  recognize  him  in  the  street 
in  this  last  trying  week,  and  it  did  not  even 
interest  him  to  learn  that  Miss  Barbara  Drew 
was  to  become  a  duchess  before  the  winter  was 
gone.  Yet  he  found  some  satisfaction  in  the 
report  that  one  Hampton  of  Chicago  had  long 
since  been  dropped  out  of  the  race. 

One  day  he  implored  the  faithful  Bragdon  to 
steal  the  Boston  terriers.  He  could  not  and 
would  not  sell  them  and  he  dared  not  give  them 
away.  Bragdon  dejectedly  appropriated  the 
dogs  and  Brewster  announced  that  some  day 
he  would  offer  a  reward  for  their  return  and 
"no  questions  asked." 

He  took  a  suite  of  rooms  in  a  small  hotel 
and  was  feverishly  planning  the  overthrow  of 
the  last  torturing  thousands.  Bragdon  lived 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN  281 

with  him  and  the  "Little  Sons  of  the  Rich" 
stood  loyally  ready  to  help  him  when  he 
uttered  the  first  cry  of  want  But  even  this 
establishment  had  to  be  abandoned  at  last. 
The  old  rooms  in  Fortieth  Street  were  still 
open  to  him  and  though  he  quailed  at  the 
thought  of  making  them  a  refuge,  he  faced  the 
ordeal  in  the  spirit  of  a  martyr. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

THE  PROMISE  OF  THRIFT 

"Monty,  you  are  breaking  my  heart,"  was 
the  first  and  only  appeal  Mrs.  Gray  ever  made 
to  him.  It  was  two  days  before  the  twenty-third 
and  it  did  not  come  until  after  the  "second 
hand  store"  men  had  driven  away  from  her 
door  with  the  bulk  of  his  clothing  in  their 
wagon.  She  and  Peggy  had  seen  little  of 
Brewster,  and  his  nervous  restlessness  alarmed 
them  His  return  was  the  talk  of  the  town. 
Men  tried  to  shun  him,  but  he  persistently 
wasted  some  portion  of  his  fortune  on  his 
unwilling  subjects.  When  he  gave  $5,000  in 
cash  to  a  Home  for  Newsboys,  even  his  friends 
jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  mad. 
It  was  his  only  gift  to  charity  and  he  excused 
his  motive  in  giving  at  this  time  by  recalling 
Sedgwick's  injunction  to  "give  sparingly  to 
charity."  Everything  was  gone  from  his 
thoughts  but  the  overpowering  eagerness  to 
get  rid  of  a  few  troublesome  thousands.  He 
felt  like  an  outcast,  a  pariah,  a  hated  object 
that  infected  everyone  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact.  Sleep  was  almost  impossible,  eating 
282 


THE  PROMISE  OF  THRIFT  283 

was  a  farce;  he  gave  elaborate  suppers  which 
he  did  not  touch  Already  his  best  friends 
were  discussing  the  advisability  of  putting  him 
in  a  sanitarium  where  his  mind  might  be  pre 
served.  His  case  was  looked  upon  as  peculiar 
in  the  history  of  mankind;  no  writer  could  find 
a  parallel,  no  one  could  imagine  a  comparison. 
Mrs.  Gray  met  him  in  the  hallway  of  her 
home  as  he  was  nervously  pocketing  the  $60 
he  had  received  in  payment  for  his  clothes. 
Her  face  was  like  that  of  a  ghost.  He  tried  to 
answer  her  reproof,  but  the  words  would  not 
'come,  and  he  fled  to  his  room,  locking  the  door 
after  him.  He  was  at  work  there  on  the 
transaction  that  was  to  record  the  total  dis 
appearance  of  Edwin  Brewster's  million — his 
final  report  to  Swearengen  Jones,  executor  of 
James  Sedgwick's  will.  On  the  floor  were 
bundles  of  packages,  carefully  wrapped  and 
tied,  and  on  the  table  was  the  long  sheet  of 
white  paper  on  which  the  report  was  being 
drawn.  The  packages  contained  receipts — 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  them — for  the 
dollars  he  had  spent  in  less  than  a  year.  They 
were  there  for  the  inspection  of  Swearengen 
Jones,  faithfully  and  honorably  kept — as  if 
the  old  westerner  would  go  over  in  detail  the 
countless  documents. 


284  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

He  had  the  accounts  balanced  up  to  the 
hour.  On  the  long  sheet  lay  the  record  of  his 
ruthlessness,  the  epitaph  of  a  million.  In  his 
pocket  was  exactly  $79.08.  This  was  to  last 
him  for  less  than  forty-eight  hours  and— then 
it  would  go  to  join  the  rest.  It  was  his  plan 
to  visit  Grant  &  Ripley  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
twenty-second  and  to  read  the  report  to  them, 
in  anticipation  of  the  meeting  with  Jones  on 
the  day  following. 

Just  before  noon,  after  his  encounter  with 
Mrs.  Gray,  he  came  down  stairs  and  boldly, 
for  the  first  time  in  days,  sought  out  Peggy. 
There  was  the  old  smile  in  his  eyes  and  the 
old  heartiness  in  his  voice  when  he  came  upon 
her  in  the  library.  She  was  not  reading. 
Books,  pleasures  and  all  the  joys  of  life  had 
fled  from  her  mind  and  she  thought  only  of  the 
disaster  that  was  coming  to  the  boy  she  had 
always  loved.  His  heart  smote  him  as  he 
looked  into  the  deep,  somber,  frightened  eyes, 
running  over  with  love  and  fear  for  him. 

"Peggy,  do  you  think  I'm  worth  anything 
more  from  your  mother?  Do  you  think  she 
will  ask  me  to  live  here  any  longer?"  he  asked, 
steadily,  taking  her  hand  in  his.  Hers  was 
cold,  his  as  hot  as  fire.  "You  know  what  you 
said  away  off  yonder  somewhere,  that  she'd 


THE  PROMISE  OF  THRIFT  285 

let  me  live  here  if  I  deserved  it.  I  am  a  pauper, 
Peggy,  and  I'm  afraid  I'll — I  may  have  to  get 
down  to  drudgery  again.  Will  she  turn  me 
out?  You  know  I  must  have  somewhere  to 
live.  Shall  it  be  the  poorhouse?  Do  you 
remember  saying  one  day  that  I'd  end  in  the 
poorhouse?" 

She  was  looking  into  his  eyes,  dreading  what 
might  be  seen  in  them.  But  there  was  no 
gleam  of  insanity  there,  there  was  no  fever; 
instead  there  was  the  quiet  smile  of  the  man 
who  is  satisfied  with  himself  and  the  world. 
His  voice  bore  traces  of  emotion,  but  it  was 
the  voice  of  one  who  has  perfect  control  of  his 
wits. 

"Is  it  all — gone,  Monty?"  she  asked,  almost 
in  a  whisper. 

"Here  is  the  residue  of  my  estate,"  he  said, 
opening  his  purse  with  steady  fingers.  "I'm 
back  to  where  I  left  off  a  year  ago.  The 
million  is  gone  and  my  wings  are  clipped." 
Her  face  was  white,  her  heart  was  in  the  clutch 
of  ice.  How  could  he  be  so  calm  about  it 
when  for  him  she  was  suffering  such  agony? 
Twice  she  started  to  speak,  but  her  voice  failed 
her.  She  turned  slowly  and  walked  to  the 
window,  keeping  her  back  to  the  man  who 
smiled  so  sadly  and  yet  so  heartlessly. 


286  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"I  didn't  want  the  million,  Peggy,"  he  went 
on.  "You  think  as  the  rest  do,  I  know,  that  I 
was  a  fool  to  act  as  I  did.  It  would  be  rank 
idiocy  on  my  part  to  blame  you  any  more  than 
the  others  for  thinking  as  you  do.  Appear 
ances  are  against  me,  the  proof  is  overwhelm 
ing  A  year  ago  I  was  called  a  man,  to-day 
they  are  stripping  me  of  every  claim  to  that 
distinction.  The  world  says  I  am  a  fool,  a 
dolt,  almost  a  criminal— but  no  one  believes 
I  am  a  man.  Peggy,  will  you  feel  better 
toward  me  if  I  tell  you  that  I  am  going  to 
begin  life  all  over  again?  It  will  be  a  new 
Monty  Brewster  that  starts  out  again  in  a  few 
days,  or,  if  you  will,  it  shall  be  the  old  one — 
the  Monty  you  once  knew." 

"The  old  Monty?"  she  murmured  softly, 
dreamily.  "It  would  be  good  to  see  him — so 
much  better  than  to  see  the  Monty  of  the  last 
year." 

"And,  in  spite  of  all  I  have  done,  Peggy, 
you  will  stand  by  me?  You  won't  desert  me 
like  the  rest?  You'll  be  the  same  Peggy  of  the 
other  days?"  he  cried,  his  calmness  breaking 
down. 

"How  can  you  ask?  Why  should  you  doubt 
me?" 

For  a  moment  they  stood  silent,  each  look- 


THE  PROMISE  OF  THRIFT  287 

ing  into  the  heart  of  the  other,  each  seeing  the 
beginning  of  a  new  day, 

"Child,"  his  voice  trembled  dangerously, 
"I — I  wonder  if  you  care  enough  for  me  to — 
to — "  but  he  could  only  look  the  question. 

"To  start  all  over  again  with  you?"  she 
whispered. 

"Yes — to  trust  yourself  to  the  prodigal  who 
has  returned.  Without  you,  child,  all  the  rest 
would  be  as  the  husks.  Peggy,  I  want  you — 
you!  You  do  love  me — I  can  see  it  in  your 
eyes,  I  can  feel  it  in  your  presence." 

"How  long  you  have  been  ir  realizing  it, " 
she  said  pensively  as  she  stretched  out  her  arms 
to  him.  For  many  minutes  he  held  her  close, 
finding  a  beautiful  peace  in  the  world  again. 

"How  long  have  you  really  cared?"  he 
asked  in  a  whisper. 

"Always,  Monty;  all  my  life." 

"And  I  too,  child,  all  my  life.  I  know  it 
now;  I've  known  it  for  months.  Oh,  what  a 
fool  I  was  to  have  wasted  all  this  love  of  yours 
and  all  this  love  of  mine.  But  I'll  not  be  a 
profligate  in  love,  Peggy.  I'll  not  squander 
an  atom  of  it,  dear,  not  as  long  as  I  live." 

"And  we  will  build  a  greater  love,  Monty,  as 
we  build  the  new  life  together.  We  never  can 
be  poor  while  we  have  love  as  a  treasure." 


288  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

"You  won't  mind  being  poor  with  me?"  he 
asked. 

"I  can't  be  poor  with  you,"  she  said  simply. 

"And  I  might  have  let  all  this  escape  me," 
he  cried  fervently.  "Listen,  Peggy — we  will 
start  together,  you  as  my  wife  and  my  fortune. 
You  shall  be  all  that  is  left  to  me  of  the  past. 
Will  you  marry  me  the  day  after  to-morrow? 
Don't  say  no,  dearest.  I  -want  to  begin  on 
that  day.  At  seven  in  the  morning,  dear? 
Don't  you  see  how  good  the  start  will  be?" 

And  he  pleaded  so  ardently  and  so  earnestly 
that  he  won  his  point  even  though  it  grew  out 
of  a  whim  that  she  could  not  then  understand. 
She  was  not  to  learn  until  afterward  his  object 
in  having  the  marriage  take  place  on  the  morn 
ing  of  September  23d,  two  hours  before  the 
time  set  for  the  turning  over  of  the  Sedgwick 
millions.  If  all  went  well  they  would  be 
Brewster's  millions  before  twelve  o'clock,  and 
Peggy's  life  of  poverty  would  cover  no  more 
than  three  hours  of  time.  She  believed  him 
woith  a  lifetime  of  poverty.  So  they  would 
start  the  new  life  with  but  one  possession — love. 

Peggy  rebelled  against  his  desire  to  spend  the 
se^  enty  dollars  that  still  remained,  but  he  was 
firm  in  his  determination.  They  would  dine  and 
drive  together  and  see  all  of  the  old  life  that  was 


THE  PROMISE  OF  THRIFT  289 

left — on  seventy  dollars.  Then  on  the  next 
clay  they  would  start  all  over  again.  There 
was  one  rude  moment  of  dismay  when  it 
occurred  to  him  that  Peggy  might  be  considered 
an  "asset"  if  she  became  his  wife  before  nine 
o'clock.  But  he  realized  at  once  that  it  was 
only  demanded  of  him  that  he  be  penniless  and 
that  he  possess  no  object  that  had  been  acquired 
through  the  medium  of  Edwin  Peter  Brew- 
ster's  money.  Surely  this  wife  who  was  not  to 
come  to  him  until  his  last  dollar  was  gone  could 
not  be  the  product  of  an  old  man's  legacy. 
But  so  careful  was  he  in  regard  to  the  transac 
tion  that  he  decided  to  borrow  money  of  Joe 
Bragdon  to  buy  the  license  and  to  pay  the 
minister's  fee.  Not  only  would  he  be  penniless 
on  the  day  of  settlement,  but  he  would  be  in 
debt.  So  changed  was  the  color  of  the  world 
to  him  now  that  even  the  failure  to  win  Sedg- 
wick's  millions  could  not  crush  out  the  new  life 
and  the  new  joy  that  had  come  to  him  with 
the  winning  of  Peggy  Gray. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

HOW  THE  MILLION  DISAPPEARED 

Soon  after  noon  on  the  22d  of  September, 
Monty  folded  his  report  to  Swearengen  Jones, 
stuck  it  into  his  pocket  and  sallied  forth.  A 
parcel  delivery  wagon  had  carried  off  a 
mysterious  bundle  a  few  minutes  before. 
Mrs.  Gray  could  not  conceal  her  wonder  but 
Brewster's  answers  to  her  questions  threw  little 
light  on  the  mystery.  He  could  not  tell  her 
the  big  bundle  contained  the  receipts  that  were 
to  prove  his  sincerity  when  the  time  came  to 
settle  with  Mr.  Jones.  Brewster  had  used  his 
own  form  of  receipt  for  every  purchase.  The 
little  stub  receipt  books  had  been  made  to  order 
for  him  and  not  only  he  but  every  person  in 
his  employ  carried  one  everywhere.  No 
matter  how  trivial  the  purchase,  the  person 
who  received  a  dollar  of  Brewster's  money 
signed  a  receipt  for  the  amount.  Newsboys 
and  bootblacks  were  the  only  beings  who 
escaped  the  formality;  tips  to  waiters,  porters, 
cabbies,  etc.,  were  recorded  and  afterward  put 

into  a  class  by  themselves.     Receipts  for  the 
290 


HOW  THE  MILLION  DISAPPEARED    291 

few  dollars  remaining  in  his  possession  were  to 
be  turned  over  on  the  morning  of  the  23d  and 
the  general  report  was  not  to  be  completed 
until  g  o'clock  on  that  day. 

He  kissed  Peggy  good-bye,  told  her  to  be 
ready  for  a  drive  at  4  o'clock,  and  then  went 
off  to  find  Joe  Bragdon  and  Elon  Gardner. 
They  met  him  by  appointment  and  to  them 
he  confided  his  design  to  be  married  on  the 
following  day. 

"You  can't  afford  it,  Monty,"  exploded  Joe, 
fearlessly.  "Peggy  is  too  good  a  girl.  By 
gad,  it  isn't  fair  to  her." 

"We  have  agreed  to  begin  life  to-mor 
row.  Wait  and  see  the  result.  I  think  it  will 
surprise  you.  Incidentally  it  is  up  to  me  to 
get  the  license  to-day  and  to  engage  a  minister's 
services.  It's  going  to  be  quiet,  you  know. 
Joe,  you  can  be  my  best  man  if  you  like  and, 
Gardie,  I'll  expect  you  to  sign  your  name  as 
one  of  the  witnesses.  To-morrow  evening  we'll 
have  supper  at  Mrs.  Gray's  and  'among  those 
present'  will  not  comprise  a  very  large  list,  I 
assure  you.  But  we'll  talk  about  that  later  on. 
Just  now  I  want  to  ask  you  fellows  to  lend  me 
enough  money  to  get  the  license  and  pay  the 
preacher.  I'll  return  it  to-morrow  afternoon." 

"Well,   I'm   damned,"   exclaimed    Gardner, 


292  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

utterly  dumbfounded  by  the  nerve  of  the  man. 
But  they  went  with  him  to  get  the  license  and 
Bragdon  paid  for  it.  Gardner  promised  to 
have  the  minister  at  the  Gray  house  the  next 
morning.  Monty's  other  request — made  in 
deep  seriousness — was  that  Peggy  was  not  to 
be  told  of  the  little  transaction  in  which  the 
license  and  the  minister  figured  so  prominently. 
He  then  hurried  off  to  the  office  of  Grant  & 
Ripley.  The  bundles  of  receipts  had  preceded 
him. 

"Has  Jones  arrived  in  town?"  was  his  first 
anxious  question  after  the  greetings. 

"He  is  not  registered  at  any  of  the  hotels," 
responded  Mr.  Grant,  and  Brewster  did  not 
see  the  troubled  look  that  passed  over  his 
face. 

"He'll  show  up  to-night,  I  presume,"  said 
he,  complacently.  The  lawyers  did  not  tell 
him  that  all  the  telegrams  they  had  sent  to 
Swearengen  Jones  in  the  past  two  weeks  had 
been  returned  to  the  New  York  office  as 
unclaimed  in  Butte.  The  telegraph  company 
reported  that  Mr.  Jones  was  not  to  be  found 
and  that  he  had  not  been  seen  in  Butte  since 
the  3d  of  September.  The  lawyers  were  hourly 
expecting  word  from  Montana  men  to  whom 
they  had  telegraphed  for  information  and 


HOW  THE  MILLION  DISAPPEARED    293 

advice.  They  were  extremely  nervous,  but 
Montgomery  Brewster  was  too  eager  and 
excited  to  notice  the  fact. 

"A  tall,  bearded  stranger  was  here  this 
morning  asking  for  you,  Mr.  Brewster,"  said 
Ripley,  his  head  bent  over  some  papers  on  his 
desk. 

"Ah!  Jones,  I'm  sure.  I've  always  imagined 
him  with  a  long  beard,"  said  Monty,  relief  in 
his  voice. 

"It  was  not  Mr.  Jones.  We  know  Jones 
quite  well.  This  man  was  a  stranger  and 
refused  to  give  his  name.  He  said  he  would 
call  at  Mrs.  Gray's  this  afternoon." 

"Did  he  look  like  a  constable  or  a  bill- 
collector?"  asked  Monty,  with  a  laugh. 

"He  looked  very  much  like  a  tramp." 

"Well,  we'll  forget  him  for  the  time  being," 
said  Monty,  drawing  the  report  from  his  pocket. 
"Would  you  mind  looking  over  this  report, 
gentlemen?  I'd  like  to  know  if  it  is  in  proper 
form  to  present  to  Mr.  Jones." 

Grant's  hand  trembled  as  he  took  the  care 
fully  folded  sheet  from  Brewster.  A  quick 
glance  of  despair  passed  between  the  two 
lawyers. 

"Of  course,  you'll  understand  that  this 
report  is  merely  a  synopsis  of  the  expenditures. 


294  jBREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

They  arc  classified,  however,  and  the  receipts 
over  there  are  arranged  in  such  a  way  that  Mr. 
Jones  can  very  easily  verify  all  the  figures  set 
out  in  the  report.  For  instance,  where  it  says 
'cigars,'  I  have  put  down  the  total  amount  that 
went  up  in  smoke.  The  receipts  are  to  serve 
as  an  itemized  statement,  you  know."  Mr. 
Ripley  took  the  paper  from  his  partner's  hand 
and,  pulling  himself  together,  read  the  report 
aloud.  It  was  as  follows: 

New  York,  Sept.  23,  19 — . 

TO    SWEARENGEN    JONES,    ESQ. 

Executor  under  the  will  of  the  late  James 
T.  Sedgwick  of  Montana: 

In  pursuance  of  the  terms  of  the  aforesaid 
will  and  in  accord  with  the  instructions  set 
forth  by  yourself  as  executor,  I  present  my 
report  of  receipts  and  disbursements  for  the 
year  in  my  life  ending  at  midnight  on  Sept.  22. 
The  accuracy  of  the  figures  set  forth  in  this 
general  statement  may  be  established  by  refer 
ring  to  the  receipts,  which  form  a  part  of  this 
report.  There  is  not  one  penny  of  Edwin 
Peter  Brewster's  money  in  my  possession,  and 
I  have  no  asset  to  mark  its  burial  place.  These 
figures  are  submitted  for  your  most  careful 
consideration. 


HO  W  THE  MILLION  DISAPPEARED    295 


ORIGINAL  CAPITAL     .      $1,000,000.00 

"Lumber  and  Fuel' 'misfortune  58,550.00 

Prize-fight  misjudged     .     .     .  1,000.00 

Monte  Carlo  education  .     .     .  40,000.00 

Race  track  errors 700.00 

Sale  of  six  terrier  pups        .     .  150.00 
Sale  of  furniture  and  personal 

effects 40,500.00 

Interest  on  funds  once  in  hand  19, 140.00 


Total  amount  to  be  disposed  of 


$1,160,040.00 


DISBURSEMENTS 

Rent  for  apartments      .     .     .  $23,000.00 

Furnishing  apartments       .     .  88,372.00 

Three  automobiles     ....  21,000.00 

Renting  six  automobiles     .     .  25,000.00 

Amount  lost  to  DeMille      .     .  1,000.00 

Salaries 25,650.00 

Amount  paid  to  men  injured 

in  auto  accident  ....  12,240.00 

Amount  lost  in  bank  failure   .  113,468.25 

Amount  lost  on  races    .     .     .  4,000.00 

One  glass  screen        ....  3,000.00 

Christmas  presents    ....  7,211.00 

Postage 1,105.00 

Cable  and  telegraph       .     .     .  3,253,00 

Stationery 2,400.00 

Two  Boston  terriers       .     .     .  600.00 

Amount  lost  to  "hold-up  men"  450.00 

Amount  lost  on  concert  tour  .  56,382.00 
Amount  lost  through  O.  Har 
rison's  speculation  (on  my 

account) 60,000.00 

One  ball  (in  two  sections)       .  60,000.00 

Extra  favors 6,000.00 

One  yacht  cruise 212,309.50 

One  carnival 6,824.00 

Cigars 1,720.00 

Drinks,  chiefly  for  others  .     .  9,040.00 

Clothing 3,400.00 


296  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

Rent  of  one  villa 20,000.00 

One  courier 500.00 

Dinnerparties 117,900.00 

Suppers  and  luncheons  .  .  38,00000 

Theater  parties  and  suppers  .  6,277.00 

Hotel  expenses 61,218.59 

Railway  and  steamship  fares  31,274.81 

For  Newsboys'  Home  .  .  .  5,000.00 

Two  opera  performances  .  .  20,000.00 

Repairs  to  "Flitter"  .  .  .  6,342.60 
In  tow  from  somewhere  to 

Southampton  ....  50,000.00 

Special  train  to  Florida  .  .  1,000.00 

Cottage  in  Florida  ....  5,500.00 

Medical  attendance  ....  3,100.00 

Living  expenses  in  Florida  .  8,900.00 
Misappropriation  of  personal 

property  by  servants  .  .  3, 580.00 

Taxes  on  personal  property  .  112.25 

Sundries  9,105.00 

Household  expenses  .  .  .  24,805.00 


Total  disbursements        .         ....  $1,160,040.00 
BALANCE  ON  HAND    .     .     .  $0,000,030-00 
Respectfully  submitted, 

MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER. 

"It's  rather  broad,  you  see,  gentlemen,  but 
there  are  receipts  for  every  dollar,  barring 
some  trifling  incidentals.  He  may  think  I 
dissipated  the  fortune,  but  I  defy  him  or  any 
one  else  to  prove  that  I  have  not  had  my 
money's  worth.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  it  has 
seemed  like  a  hundred  million.  If  anyone 
should  tell  you  that  it  is  an  easy  matter  to 
waste  a  million  dollars,  refer  him  to  me.  Last 
fall  I  weighed  180  pounds,  yesterday  I  barely 


HOW  THE  MILLION  DISAPPEARED   297 

moved  the  beam  at  140;  last  fall  there  was 
not  a  wrinkle  in  my  face,  nor  did  I  have  a 
white  hair.  You  see  the  result  of  overwork, 
gentlemen.  It  will  take  an  age  to  get  back  to 
where  I  was  physically,  but  I  think  I  can  do  it 
with  the  vacation  that  begins  to-morrow. 
Incidentally,  I'm  going  to  be  married  to-morrow 
morning,  just  when  I  am  poorer  than  I  ever 
expect  to  be  again.  I  still  have  a  few  dollars 
to  spend  and  I  must  be  about  it.  To-morrow  I 
will  account  for  what  I  spend  this  evening.  It 
is  now  covered  by  the  'sundries'  item,  but  I'll 
have  the  receipts  to  show,  all  right.  See  you 
to-morrow  morning." 

He  was  gone,  eager  to  be  with  Peggy,  afraid 
to  discuss  his  report  with  the  lawyers.  Grant 
and  Ripley  shook  their  heads  and  sat  silent  for 
a  long  time  after  his  departure. 

"We  ought  to  hear  something  definite  before 
night,"  said  Grant,  but  there  was  anxiety  in 
his  voice. 

"I  wonder,"  mused  Ripley,  as  if  to  himself, 
"how  he  will  take  it  if  the  worst  should 
happen." 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

THE  NIGHT  BEFORE 

"It's  all  up  to  Jones  now,"  kept  running 
through  Brewster's  brain  as  he  drove  off  to 
keep  his  appointment  with  Peggy  Gray.  "The 
million  is  gone — all  gone.  I'm  as  poor  as  Job's 
turkey.  It's  up  to  Jones,  but  I  don't  see  how 
he  can  decide  against  me.  He  insisted  on 
making  a  pauper  of  me  and  he  can  t  have  the 
heart  to  throw  me  down  now.  But,  what  if  he 
should  take  it  into  his  head  to  be  ugly!  I 
wonder  if  I  could  break  the  will— I  wonder  if  I 
could  beat  him  out  in  court." 

Peggy  was  waiting  for  him.  Her  cheeks 
were  flushed  as  with  a  fever.  She  had  caught 
from  him  the  mad  excitement  of  the  occasion. 

"Come,  Peggy,"  he  exclaimed,  eagerly. 
"This  is  our  last  holiday — let's  be  merry.  We 
can  forget  it  to-morrow,  if  you  like,  when  we 
begin  all  over  again,  but  maybe  it  will  be  worth 
remembering."  He  assisted  her  to  the  seat 
and  then  leaped  up  beside  her.  "We're  off !" 
he  cried,  his  voice  quivering. 

"It  is  absolute    madness,   dear,"   she  said, 
298 


THE  NIGHT  BEFORE  299 

but  her  eyes  were  sparkling  with  the  joy  of 
recklessness.  Away  went  the  trap  and  the  two 
light  hearts.  Mrs.  Gray  turned  from  a  window 
in  the  house  with  tears  in  her  eyes.  To  her 
troubled  mind  they  were  driving  off  into  utter 
darkness. 

"The  queerest  looking  man  came  to  the 
house  to  see  you  this  afternoon,  Monty,"  said 
Peggy.  "He  wore  a  beard  and  he  made  me 
think  of  one  of  Remington's  cowboys." 

"What  was  his  name?" 

"He  told  the  maid  it  did  not  matter.  I  saw 
him  as  he  walked  away  and  he  looked  very 
much  a  man.  He  said  he  would  come  to-mor 
row  if  he  did  not  find  you  down  town  to-night. 
Don't  you  recognize  him  from  the  description?" 

"Not  at  all.     Can't  imagine  who  he  is." 

"Monty,"  she  said,  after  a  moment's  pain 
ful  reflection,  "he — he  couldn't  have  been 

*-»         

"I  know  what  you  mean.  An  officer  sent 
up  to  attach  my  belongings  or  something  of 
the  sort.  No,  dearest;  I  give  you  my  word  of 
honor  I  do  not  owe  a  dollar  in  the  world." 
Then  he  recalled  his  peculiar  indebtedness  to 
Bragdon  and  Gardner.  "Except  one  or  two 
very  small  personal  obligations,"  he  added, 
hastily.  "Don't  worry  about  it,  dear,  we  are 


300  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

out  for  a  good  time  and  we  must  make  the 
most  of  it.  First,  we  drive  through  the  Park, 
then  we  dine  at  Sherry's." 

"But  we  must  dress  for  that,  dear,"  she 
cried.  "And  the  chaperon?" 

He  turned  very  red  when  she  spoke  of  dress 
ing.  "I'm  ashamed  to  confess  it,  Peggy,  but  I 
have  no  other  clothes  than  these  I'm  wearing 
now.  Don't  look  so  hurt,  dear — I'm  going  to 
leave  an  order  for  new  evening  clothes  to-mor 
row — if  I  have  the  time.  And  about  the 
chaperon.  People  won't  be  talking  before 
to-morrow  and  by  that  time 

"No,  Monty,  Sherry's  is  out  of  the  question. 
We  can't  go  there,"  she  said,  decisively. 

"Oh,  Peggy!  That  spoils  everything,"  he 
cried,  in  deep  disappointment. 

"It  isn't  fair  to  me,  Monty.  Everybody 
would  know  us  and  every  tongue  would  wag. 
They  would  say,  'There  are  Monty  Brewster  and 
Margaret  Gray.  Spending  his  last  few  dollars 
on  her.'  You  wouldn't  have  them  think 
that?" 

He  saw  the  justice  in  her  protest.  "A  quiet 
little  dinner  in  some  out  of  the  way  place  would 
be  joyous,"  she  added,  persuasively. 

"You're  right,  Peggy,  you're  always  right. 
You  see,  I'm  so  used  to  spending  money  by 


THE  NIGHT  BEFORE  301 

the  handful  that  I  don't  know  how  to  do  it 
any  other  way.  I  believe  I'll  let  you  carry 
the  pocketbook  after  to-morrow.  Let  me 
think;  I  know  a  nice  little  restaurant  down 
town.  We'll  go  there  and  then  to  the  theater. 
Dan  DeMille  and  his  wife  are  to  be  in  my  box 
and  we're  all  going  up  to  Pettingill's  studio 
afterward.  I'm  to  give  the  'Little  Sons'  a  fare 
well  supper.  If  my  calculations  don't  go 
wrong,  that  will  be  the  end  of  the  jaunt  and 
we'll  go  home  happy." 

At  eleven  o'clock  Pettingill's  studio  opened 
its  doors  to  the  "Little  Sons"  and  their  guests, 
and  the  last  "Dutch  lunch"  was  soon  under 
way.  Brewster  had  paid  for  it  early  in  the 
evening  and  when  he  sat  down  at  the  head  of 
the  table  there  was  not  a  penny  in  his  pockets. 
A  year  ago,  at  the  same  place  and  at  the  same 
hour,  he  and  the  "Little  Sons"  were  having  a 
birthday  feast.  A  million  dollars  came  to  him 
on  that  night.  To-night  he  was  poorer  by  far 
than  on  the  other  occasion,  but  he  expected  a 
little  gift  on  the  new  anniversary. 

Around  the  board,  besides  the  nine  "Little 
Sons,"  sat  six  guests,  among  them  the  DeMilles, 
Peggy  Gray  and  Mary  Valentine.  "Nopper" 
Harrison  was  the  only  absent  "Little  Son"  and 
his  health  was  proposed  by  Brewster  almost 


302  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

before  the  echoes  of  the  toast  to  the  bride  and 
groom  died  away. 

Interruption  came  earlier  on  this  occasion 
than  it  did  that  night  a  year  ago.  Ellis  did 
not  deliver  his  messages  to  Brewster  until  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  but  the  A.D.T.  boy 
who  rang  the  bell  at  Pettingill's  a  year  later 
handed  him  a  telegram  before  twelve  o'clock. 

"Congratulations  are  coming  in,  old  man," 
said  DeMille,  as  Monty  looked  fearfully  at  the 
little  envelope  the  boy  had  given  him. 

"Many  happy  returns  of  the  day,"  suggested 
Bragdon.  "By  Jove,  it's  sensible  of  you  to 
get  married  on  your  birthday,  Monty.  It  saves 
time  and  expense  to  your  friends." 

"Read  it  aloud,"  said  "Subway"  Smith. 

"Two  to  one  it's  from  Nopper  Harrison," 
cried  Pettingill. 

Brewster's  fingers  trembled,  he  knew  not 
why,  as  he  opened  the  envelope.  There  was 
the  most  desolate  feeling  in  his  heart,  the  most 
ghastly  premonition  that  ill-news  had  come  in 
this  last  hour.  He  drew  forth  the  telegram  and 
slowly  painfully  unfolded  it.  No  one  could 
have  told  by  his  expression  that  he  felt  almost 
that  he  was  reading  his  death  warrant.  It  was 
from  Grant  &  Ripley  and  evidently  had  been 
following  him  about  town  for  two  or  three 


THE  NIGHT  BEFORE  303 


hours.      The     lawyers    had    filed     it    at 
o'clock. 

He  read  it  at  a  glance,  his  eyes  burning,  his 
heart  freezing.  To  the  end  of  his  days  these 
words  lived  sharp  and  distinct  in  his  brain. 

"Come  to  the  office  immediately.  Will  wait 
all  night  for  you  if  necessary.  Jones  has  dis 
appeared  and  there  is  absolutely  no  trace  of 
him.  Grant  &  Ripley. " 

Brewster  sat  as  one  paralyzed,  absolutely  no 
sign  of  emotion  in  his  face.  The  others  began 
to  clamor  for  the  contents  of  the  telegram,  but 
his  tongue  was  stiff  and  motionless,  his  ears 
deaf.  Every  drop  of  blood  in  his  body  was 
stilled  by  the  shock,  every  sense  given  him  by 
the  Creator  was  centered  upon  eleven  words  in 
the  handwriting  of  a  careless  telegraph 
operator — "Jones  has  disappeared  and  there 
is  absolutely  no  trace  of  him." 

"JONES  HAS  DISAPPEARED!"  Those 
were  the  words,  plain  and  terrible  in  their 
clearness,  tremendous  in  their  brutality. 
Slowly  the  rest  of  the  message  began  to  urge 
its  claims  upon  his  brain.  "Come  to  our  office 
immediately' '  and  "Will  wait  all  night"  battled 
for  recognition.  He  was  calm  because  he  had 
not  the  power  to  express  an  emotion.  How  he 


304  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

maintained  control  of  himself  afterward  he 
never  knew.  Some  powerful,  kindly  force 
asserted  itself,  coming  to  his  relief  with  the 
timeliness  of  a  genii.  Gradually  it  began  to 
dawn  upon  him  that  the  others  were  waiting 
for  him  to  read  the  message  aloud.  He  was 
not  sure  that  a  sound  would  come  forth  when 
he  opened  his  lips  to  speak,  but  the  tones  were 
steady,  natural  and  as  cold  as  steel. 

"I  am  sorry  I  can't  tell  you  about  this,"  he 
said,  so  gravely  that  his  hearers  were  silenced. 
"It  is  a  business  matter  of  such  vital  impor 
tance  that  I  must  ask  you  to  excuse  me  for  an 
hour  or  so.  I  will  explain  everything  to-mor 
row.  Please  don't  be  uneasy.  If  you  will  do 
me  the  honor  to  grace  the  board  of  an  absent 
host,  I'll  be  most  grateful.  It  is  imperative 
that  I  go,  and  at  once.  I  promise  to  return  in 
an  hour."  He  was  standing,  his  knees  as  stiff 
as  iron. 

"Is  it  anything  serious?"  asked  DeMille. 

"What!  has  anything  happened?"  came  in 
halting,  frightened  tones  from  Peggy. 

"It  concerns  me  alone,  and  it  is  purely  of  a 
business  nature.  Seriously,  I  can't  delay  going 
for  another  minute.  It  is  vital.  In  an  hour 
I'll  return.  Peggy,  don't  be  worried — don't 
be  distressed  about  me.  Go  on  and  have  a 


THE  NIGHT  BEFORE  305 

good  time,  everybody,  and  you'll  find  me  the 
jolliest  fellow  of  all  when  I  come  back.  It's 
twelve  o'clock.  I'll  be  here  by  one  on  the  23d 
of  September." 

"Let  me  go  with  you,"  pleaded  Peggy,  trem 
ulously,  as  she  followed  him  into  the  hallway. 

"I  must  go  alone,"  he  answered.  "Don't 
worry,  little  woman,  it  will  be  all  right." 

His  kiss  sent  a  chill  to  the  very  bottom  of 
Peggy's  heart. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

THE  FLIGHT  OF  JONES 

Everything  seemed  like  a  dream  to  Brewster 
as  he  rushed  off  through  the  night  to  the  office 
of  Grant  &  Ripley.  He  was  dazed,  bewildered, 
hardly  more  than  half-conscious.  A  bitter 
smile  crept  about  his  lips  as  he  drew  away 
from  the  street-car  track  almost  as  his  hand 
touched  the  rail  of  a  car  he  had  signaled.  He 
remembered  that  he  did  not  have  money 
enough  to  pay  his  fare.  It  was  six  or  seven 
blocks  to  the  office  of  the  lawyers,  and  he  was 
actually  running  before  he  stopped  at  the 
entrance  of  the  big  building. 

Never  had  an  elevator  traveled  more  slowly 
than  the  one  which  shot  him  to  the  seventh 
floor.  A  light  shone  through  the  transom 
above  the  attorneys'  door  and  he  entered  with 
out  so  much  as  a  rap  on  the  panel.  Grant,  who 
was  pacing  the  floor,  came  to  a  standstill  and 
faced  his  visitor. 

"Close  the  door,  please,"  came  in  steady 
tones  from  Ripley.  Mr.  Grant  dropped  into 
a  chair  and  Brewster  mechanically  slammed 
the  door. 

306 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  JONES  307 

"Is  it  true?"  he  demanded  hoarsely,  his 
hand  still  on  the  knob. 

"Sit  down,  Brevvster,  and  control  yourself, " 
said  Ripley. 

"Good  God,  man,  can't  you  see  I  am  calm?" 
cried  Monty.  "Go  on — tell  me  all  about  it. 
What  do  you  know?  What  have  you  heard?" 

"He  cannot  be  found,  that's  all,"  announced 
Ripley,  with  deadly  intentness.  "I  don't 
know  what  it  means.  There  is  no  explanation. 
The  whole  thing  is  inconceivable.  Sit  down 
and  I  will  tell  you  everything  as  quickly  as 
possible." 

"There  isn't  much  to  tell,"  said  Grant, 
mechanically. 

"I  can  take  it  better  standing,"  declared 
Brewster,  shutting  his  jaws  tightly. 

"Jones  was  last  seen  in  Butte  on  the  third  of 
this  month,"  said  Ripley.  "We  sent  several 
telegrams  to  him  after  that  day,  asking  when 
he  expected  to  leave  for  New  York.  They 
never  were  claimed  and  the  telegraph  company 
reported  that  he  could  not  be  found.  We 
thought  he  might  have  gone  off  to  look  after 
some  of  his  property  and  were  not  uneasy. 
Finally  we  began  to  wonder  why  he  had  not 
wired  us  on  leaving  for  the  east.  I  tele 
graphed  again  and  got  no  answer.  It  dawned 


308  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

upon  us  that  this  was  something  unusual.  We 
wired  his  secretary  and  received  a  response 
from  the  chief  of  police.  He  asked,  in  turn, 
if  we  could  tell  him  anything  about  the  where 
abouts  of  Jones.  This  naturally  alarmed  us 
and  yesterday  we  kept  the  wires  hot.  The 
result  of  our  inquiries  is  terrible,  Mr.  Brewster.  " 

"Why  didn't  you  tell  me?"  asked  Brewster. 

"There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Jones  has  fled, 
accompanied  by  his  secretary.  The  belief  in 
Butte  is  that  the  secretary  has  murdered  him." 

"God!"  was  the  only  sound  that  came  from 
the  lips  of  Brewster. 

Ripley  moistened  his  lips  and  went  on. 

"We  have  dispatches  here  from  the  police, 
the  banks,  the  trust  companies  and  from  a  half 
dozen  mine  managers.  You  may  read  them 
if  you  like,  but  I  can  tell  you  what  they  say. 
About  the  first  of  this  month  Jones  began  to 
turn  various  securities  into  money.  It  is  now 
known  that  they  were  once  the  property  of 
James  T.  Sedgwick,  held  in  trust  for  you.  The 
safety  deposit  vaults  were  afterward  visited  and 
inspection  shows  that  he  removed  every  scrap 
of  stock,  every  bond,  everything  of  value 
that  he  could  lay  his  hands  upon.  His  own 
papers  and  effects  were  not  disturbed.  Yours 
alone  have  disappeared.  It  is  this  fact  that 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  JONES  309 

convinces  the  authorities  that  the  secretary 
has  made  away  with  the  old  man  and  has  fled 
with  the  property.  The  bank  people  say  that 
Jones  drew  out  every  dollar  of  the  Sedgwick 
money,  and  the  police  say  that  he  realized 
tremendous  sums  on  the  convertible  securities. 
The  strange  part  of  it  is  that  he  sold  your 
mines  and  your  real  estate,  the  purchaser  being 
a  man  named  Golden.  Brewster,  it — it  looks 
very  much  as  if  he  had  disappeared  with  every 
thing." 

Brewster  did  not  take  his  eyes  from  Ripley's 
face  throughout  the  terrible  speech;  he  did 
not  move  a  fraction  of  an  inch  from  the  rigid 
position  assumed  at  the  beginning. 

"Is  anything  being  done?"  he  asked, 
mechanically. 

"The  police  are  investigating.  He  is  known 
to  have  started  off  into  the  mountains  with  this 
secretary,  on  the  third  of  September.  Neither 
has  been  seen  since  that  day,  so  far  as  anyone 
knows.  The  earth  seems  to  have  swallowed 
them.  The  authorities  are  searching  the 
mountains  and  are  making  every  effort  to  find 
Jones  or  his  body.  He  is  known  to  be  eccentric 
and  at  first  not  much  importance  was  attached 
to  his  actions.  That  is  all  we  can  tell  you  at 
present.  There  may  be  developments  to- 


310  BRE  WSTERS  MILLIONS 

morrow.  It  looks  bad — terribly  bad.  We — 
we  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  Jones.  My 
God,  I  wish  I  could  help  you,  my  boy." 

"I  don't  blame  you,  gentlemen,"  said  Brew- 
ster,  bravely.  "It's  just  my  luck,  that's  all. 
Something  told  me  all  along  that — that  it 
wouldn't  turn  out  right.  I  wasn't  looking  for 
this  kind  of  end,  though.  My  only  fear  was 
that— Jones  wouldn't  consider  me  worthy  to 
receive  the  fortune.  It  never  occurred  to  me 
that  he  might  prove  to  be  the — the  unworthy 
one." 

"I  will  take  you  a  little  farther  into  our  con 
fidence,  Brewster, "  said  Grant,  slowly.  "Mr. 
Jones  notified  us  in  the  beginning  that  he  would 
be  governed  largely  in  his  decision  by  our 
opinion  of  your  conduct.  That  is  why  we  felt 
no  hesitation  in  advising  you  to  continue  as 
you  were  going.  While  you  were  off  at  sea, 
we  had  many  letters  from  him,  all  in  that 
sarcastic  vein  of  his,  but  in  none  of  them  did 
he  offer  a  word  of  criticism.  He  seemed 
thoroughly  satisfied  with  your  methods.  In 
fact,  he  once  said  he'd  give  a  million  of  his  own 
money  if  it  would  purchase  your  ability  to 
spend  one-fourth  of  it." 

"Well,  he  can  have  my  experience  free  of 
charge.  A  beggar  can't  be  a  chooser,  you 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  JONES  311 

know,"  said  Brewster,  bitterly.  His  color  was 
gradually  coming  back.  "What  do  they  know 
about  the  secretary?"  he  asked,  suddenly, 
intent  and  alive. 

"He  was  a  new  one,  I  understand,  who  came 
to  Jones  less  than  a  year  ago.  Jones  is  said  to 
have  had  implicit  faith  in  him,"  said  Ripley. 

"And  he  disappeared  at  the  same  time?" 

"They  were  last  seen  together." 

"Then,  he  has  put  an  end  to  Jones!"  cried 
Monty,  excitedly.  "It  is  as  plain  as  day  to 
me.  Don't  you  see  that  he  exerted  some  sort 
of  influence  over  the  old  man,  inducing  him  to 
get  all  this  money  together  on  some  pretext  or 
other,  solely  for  the  purpose  of  robbing  him  of 
the  whole  amount?  Was  ever  anything  more 
diabolical?"  He  began  pacing  the  floor  like 
an  animal,  nervously  clasping  and  unclasping 
his  hands.  "We  must  catch  that  secretary!  I 
don't  believe  Jones  was  dishonest.  He  has 
been  duped  by  a  clever  scoundrel." 

"The  strangest  circumstance  of  all,  Mr. 
Brewster,  is  that  no  such  person  as  Golden,  the 
purchaser  of  your  properties,  can  be  found. 
He  is  supposed  to  reside  in  Omaha,  and  it  is 
known  that  he  paid  nearly  three  million  dol 
lars  for  the  property  that  now  stands  in  his 
name.  He  paid  it  to  Mr.  Jones  in  cash,  too, 


312  BREW$TER'S  MILLIONS 

and  he  paid  every  cent  that  the  property  is 
worth." 

"But  he  must  be  in  existence  somewhere," 
cried  Brewster,  in  perplexity.  "How  the  devil 
could  he  pay  the  money  if  he  doesn't  exist?" 

"I  only  know  that  no  trace  of  the  man  can  be 
found.  They  know  nothing  of  him  in  Omaha," 
said  Grant,  helplessly. 

"So  it  has  finally  happened,"  said  Brewster, 
but  his  excitement  had  dropped.  "Well,"  he 
added,  throwing  himself  into  a  deep  chair,  "it 
was  always  much  too  strange  to  be  true.  Even 
at  the  beginning  it  seemed  like  a  dream,  and 
now — well,  now  I  am  just  awake,  like  the  little 
boy  after  the  fairy-tale.  I  seem  like  a  fool 
to  have  taken  it  so  seriously." 

"There  was  no  other  way,"  protested 
Ripley,  "you  were  quite  right." 

"Well,  after  all,"  continued  Brewster,  and 
the  voice  was  as  of  one  in  a  dream,  "perhaps 
it's  as  well  to  have  been  in  Wonderland  even  if 
you  have  to  come  down  afterward  to  the 
ordinary  world.  I  am  foolish,  perhaps,  but 
even  now  I  would  not  give  it  up."  Then  the 
thought  of  Peggy  clutched  him  by  the  throat, 
and  he  stopped.  After  a  moment  he  gathered 
himself  together  and  rose.  "Gentlemen,"  he 
said  sharply,  and  his  voice  had  changed;  "I 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  JONES  313 

have  had  my  fun  and  this  is  the  end  of  it. 
Down  underneath  I  am  desperately  tired  of 
the  whole  thing,  and  I  give  you  my  word  that 
you  will  find  me  a  different  man  to-morrow. 
I  am  going  to  buckle  down  to  the  real  thing. 
I  am  going  to  prove  that  my  grandfather's 
blood  is  in  me.  And  I  shall  come  out  on  top." 

Ripley  was  obviously  moved  as  he  replied, 
"I  don't  question  it  for  a  moment.  You  are 
made  of  the  right  stuff.  I  saw  that  long  ago. 
You  may  count  on  us  to-morrow  for  any  amount 
you  need." 

Grant  endorsed  the  opinion.  "I  like  your 
spirit,  Brewster,"  he  said.  "There  are  not 
many  men  who  would  have  taken  this  as  well. 
It's  pretty  hard  on  you,  too,  and  it's  a  miserable 
wedding  gift  for  your  bride." 

"We  may  have  important  news  from  Butte 
in  the  morning,"  said  Ripley,  hopefully;  "at 
any  rate,  more  of  the  details.  The  newspapers 
will  have  sensational  stories  no  doubt,  and  we 
have  asked  for  the  latest  particulars  direct  from 
the  authorities.  We'll  see  that  things  are 
properly  investigated.  Go  home  now,  my  boy, 
and  go  to  bed.  You  will  begin  to-morrow  with 
good  luck  at  your  side  and  you  may  be  happy 
all  your  life  in  spite  of  to-night's  depression." 

"I'm    sure    to  be    happy,"    said   Brewster, 


314  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

simply.  "The  ceremony  takes  place  at  seven 
o'clock,  gentlemen.  I  was  coming  to  your 
office  at  nine  on  a  little  matter  of  business,  but 
I  fancy  it  won't  after  all  be  necessary  for  me 
to  hurry.  I'll  drop  in  before  noon,  however, 
and  get  that  money.  By  the  way,  here  are  the 
receipts  for  the  money  I  spent  to-night.  Will 
you  put  them  away  with  the  others?  I  intend 
to  live  up  to  my  part  of  the  contract,  and  it  will 
save  me  the  trouble  of  presenting  them 
regularly  in  the  morning.  Good  night,  gentle 
men.  I  am  sorry  you  were  obliged  to  stay  up 
so  late  on  my  account." 

He  left  them  bravely  enough,  but  he  had 
more  than  one  moment  of  weakness  before  he 
could  meet  his  friends.  The  world  seemed 
unreal  and  himself  the  most  unreal  thing  in  it. 
But  the  night  air  acted  as  a  stimulant  and 
helped  him  to  call  back  his  courage.  When  he 
entered  the  studio  at  one  o'clock,  he  was  pre 
pared  to  redeem  h'is  promise  to  be  "the  jolliest 
fellow  of  them  all." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

THE  LAST  WORD 

"I'll  tell  you  about  it  later,  dear,"  was  all 
that  Peggy,  pleading,  could  draw  from  him. 

At  midnight  Mrs.  Dan  had  remonstrated  with 
her.  "You  must  go  home,  Peggy  dear,"  she 
said.  "It  is  disgraceful  for  you  to  stay  up  so 
late.  I  went  to  bed  at  eight  o'clock  the  night 
before  I  was  married." 

"And  fell  asleep  at  four  in  the  morning," 
smiled  Peggy. 

"You  are  quite  mistaken,  my  dear.  I  did 
not  fall  asleep  at  all.  But  I  won't  allow  you 
to  stop  a  minute  longer.  It  puts  rings  under 
the  eyes  and  sometimes  they're  red  the  morning 
after." 

"Oh,  you  dear  sweet  philosopher,"  cried 
Peggy;  "how  wise  you  are.  Do  you  think  I 
need  a  beauty  sleep?" 

"I  don't  want  you  to  be  a  sleepy  beauty, 
that's  all,"  retorted  Mrs.  Dan. 

Upon  Monty's  return  from  his  trying  hour 
with  the  lawyers,  he  had  been  besieged  with 
questions,  but  he  was  cleverly  evasive.  Peggy 
315 


316  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

alone  was  insistent;  she  had  curbed  her  curi 
osity  until  they  were  on  the  way  home,  and 
then  she  implored  him  to  tell  her  what  had 
happened.  The  misery  he  had  endured  was  as 
nothing  to  this  reckoning  with  the  woman  who 
had  the  right  to  expect  fair  treatment.  His 
duty  was  clear,  but  the  strain  had  been  heavy 
and  it  was  not  easy  to  meet  it. 

"Peggy,  something  terrible  has  happened," 
he  faltered,  uncertain  of  his  course. 

"Tell  me  everything,  Monty,  you  can  trust 
me  to  be  brave." 

"When  I  asked  you  to  marry  me,"  he  con 
tinued  gravely,  "it  was  with  the  thought  that  I 
could  give  you  everything  to-morrow.  I  looked 
for  a  fortune.  I  never  meant  that  you  should 
marry  a  pauper." 

"I  don't  understand.  You  tried  to  test  my 
love  for  you?" 

"No,  child,  not  that.  But  I  was  pledged 
not  to  speak  of  the  money  I  expected,  and  I 
wanted  you  so  much  before  it  came." 

"And  it  has  failed  you?"  she  answered.  "I 
can't  see  that  it  changes  things.  I  expected 
to  marry  a  pauper,  as  you  call  it.  Do  you 
think  this  could  make  a  difference?" 

"But  you  don't  understand,  Peggy.  I 
haven't  a  penny  in  the  world." 


THE  LAST  WORD  317 

"You  hadn't  a  penny  when  I  accepted  you," 
she  replied.  "I  am  not  afraid.  I  believe  in 
you.  And  if  you  love  me  I  shall  not  give  you 
up." 

"Dearest!" and  the  carriage  was  at  the  door 
before  another  word  was  uttered.  But  Monty 
called  to  the  coachman  to  drive  just  once 
around  the  block. 

"Good  night,  my  darling,"  he  said  when 
they  reached  home.  "Sleep  till  eight  o'clock 
if  you  like.  There  is  nothing  now  in  the  way 
of  having  the  wedding  at  nine,  instead  of  at 
seven.  In  fact,  I  have  a  reason  for  wanting 
my  whole  fortune  to  come  to  me  then.  You 
will  be  all  that  I  have  in  the  world,  child,  but 
I  am  the  happiest  man  alive." 

In  his  room  the  strain  was  relaxed  and  Brew- 
ster  faced  the  bitter  reality.  Without  undress 
ing  he  threw  himself  upon  the  lounge  and 
wondered  what  the  world  held  for  him.  It 
held  Peggy  at  least,  he  thought,  and  she  was 
enough.  But  had  he  been  fair  to  her?  Was 
he  right  in  exacting  a  sacrifice?  His  tired 
brain  whirled  in  the  effort  to  decide.  Only 
one  thing  was  clear — that  he  could  not  give 
her  up.  The  future  grew  black  at  the  very 
thought  of  it.  With  her  he  could  make  things 
go,  but  alone  it  was  another  matter.  He 


318  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

would  take  the  plunge  and  he  would  justify  it. 
His  mind  went  traveling  back  over  the  grace 
less  year,  and  he  suddenly  realized  that  he  had 
forfeited  the  confidence  of  men  who  were 
worth  while.  His  course  in  profligacy  would 
not  be  considered  the  best  training  for  business. 
The  thought  nerved  him  to  action.  He  must 
make  good.  Peggy  had  faith  in  him.  She 
came  to  him  when  everything  was  against  him, 
and  he  would  slave  for  her,  he  would  starve,  he 
would  do  anything  to  prove  that  she  was  not 
mistaken  in  him.  She  at  least  should  know 
him  for  a  man. 

Looking  toward  the  window  he  saw  the 
black,  uneasy  night  give  way  to  the  coming 
day.  Haggard  and  faint  he  arose  from  the 
couch  to  watch  the  approach  of  the  sun  that  is 
indifferent  to  wealth  and  poverty,  to  gayety 
and  dejection.  From  far  off  in  the  gray  light 
there  came  the  sound  of  a  five  o'clock  bell.  A 
little  later  the  shrieks  of  factory  whistles  were 
borne  to  his  ears,  muffled  by  distance  but 
pregnant  with  the  importance  of  a  new  day  of 
toil.  They  were  calling  him,  with  all  poor 
men,  to  the  sweat-shop  and  the  forge,  to  the 
great  mill  of  life.  The  new  era  had  begun, 
dawning  bright  and  clear  to  disperse  the  gloom 
in  his  soul.  Leaning  against  the  casement  and 


THE  LAST  WORD  319 

wondering  where  he  could  earn  the  first  dollar 
for  the  Peggy  Brewster  that  was  Peggy  Gray, 
he  rose  to  meet  it  with  a  fine  unflinching 
fearlessness. 

Before  seven  o'clock  he  was  down  stairs 
and  waiting.  Joe  Bragdon  joined  him  a  bit 
later,  followed  by  Gardner  and  the  minister. 
The  DeMilles  appeared  without  an  invitation, 
but  they  were  not  denied.  Mrs.  Dan  sagely 
shook  her  head  when  told  that  Peggy  was  still 
asleep  and  that  the  ceremony  was  off  till  nine 
o'clock. 

"Monty,  are  you  going  away?"  asked  Dan, 
drawing  him  into  a  corner. 

"Just  a  week  in  the  hills,"  answered  Monty, 
suddenly  remembering  the  generosity  of  his 
attorneys. 

"Come  in  and  see  me  as  soon  as  you  return, 
old  man,"  said  DeMille,  and  Monty  knew  that 
a  position  would  be  open  to  him. 

To  Mrs.  Dan  fell  the  honor  of  helping  Peggy 
dress.  By  the  time  she  had  had  coffee  and  was 
ready  to  go  down,  she  was  pink  with  excite 
ment  and  had  quite  forgotten  the  anxiety 
which  had  made  the  night  an  age. 

She  had  never  been  prettier  than  on  her 
wedding  morning.  Her  color  was  rich,  her 
eyes  as  clear  as  stars,  her  woman's  body  the 


320  BRE  ULSTER'S  MILLIONS 

picture  of  grace  and  health.      Monty's  heart 
leaped  high  with  love  of  her. 

"The  prettiest  girl  in  New  York,  by  Jove," 
gasped  Dan  DeMille,  clutching  Bragdon  by 
the  arm. 

"And  look  at  Monty!  He's  become  a  new 
man  in  the  last  five  minutes,"  added  Joe. 
Look  at  the  glow  in  his  cheeks!  By  the 
eternal,  he's  beginning  to  look  as  he  did  a 
year  ago." 

A  clock  chimed  the  hour  of  nine. 
********* 

"The  man  who  was  here  yesterday  is  in  the 
hall  to  see  Mr.  Brewster,"  said  the  maid,  a  few 
minutes  after  the  minister  had  uttered  the 
words  that  gave  Peggy  a  new  name.  There  was 
a  moment  of  silence,  almost  of  dread. 

"You  mean  the  fellow  with  the  beard?" 
asked  Monty,  uneasily. 

"Yes,  sir.  He  sent  in  this  letter,  begging 
you  to  read  it  at  once. 

"Shall  I  send  him  away,  Monty?"  demanded 
Bragdon,  defiantly.  "What  does  he  mean  by 
coming  at  this  time?" 

"I'll  read  the  letter  first,  Joe." 

Every  eye  was  on  Brewster  as  he  tore  open 
the  envelope.  His  face  was  expressive. 
There  was  wonder  in  it,  then  incredulity,  then 


THE  LAST  WORD  321 

joy.  He  threw  the  letter  to  Bragdon,  clasped 
Peggy  in  his  arms  spasmodically,  and  then, 
releasing  her,  dashed  for  the  hall  like  one 
bereft  of  reason. 

"It's  Nopper  Harrison!"  he  cried,  and  a 
moment  later  the  tall  visitor  was  dragged  into 
the  circle.  "Nopper"  was  quite  overcome  by 
the  heartiness  of  his  welcome. 

"You  are  an  angel,  Nopper,  God  bless  you!" 
said  Monty,  with  convincing  emphasis.  "Joe, 
read  that  letter  aloud  and  then  advertize  for 
the  return  of  those  Boston  terriers!" 

Bragdon's  hands  trembled  and  his  voice  was 
not  sure  as  he  translated  the  scrawl,  "Nopper" 
Harrison  standing  behind  him  for  the  gleeful 
purpose  of  prompting  him  when  the  writing 
was  beyond  the  range  of  human  intelligence. 

"Holland  House,  Sept.  23,  19 — 
"MR.  MONTGOMERY  BREWSTER, 

"My  Dear  Boy: 

"So  you  thought  I  had  given  you  the  slip,  eh? 
Didn't  think  I'd  show  up  here  and  do  my 
part?  Well,  I  don't  blame  you;  I  suppose  I've 
acted  like  a  damned  idiot,  but  so  long  as  it 
turns  out  O.K.  there's  no  harm  done.  The 
wolf  won't  gnaw  very  much  of  a  hole  in  your 
door,  I  reckon.  This  letter  introduces  my 


322  BREWSTERS  MILLIONS 

secretary,  Mr.  Oliver  Harrison.  He  came  to 
me  last  June,  out  in  Butte,  with  the  prospectus 
of  a  claim  he  had  staked  out  up  in  the 
mountains.  What  he  wanted  was  backing  and 
he  had  such  a  good  show  to  win  out  that  I 
went  into  cahoots  with  him.  He's  got  a  mine 
up  there  that  is  dead  sure  to  yield  millions. 
Seems  as  though  he  has  to  give  you  half  of 
the  yield,  though.  Says  you  grub-staked  him. 
Good  fellow,  this  Harrison.  Needed  a  secretary 
and  man  of  affairs,  so  took  him  into  my  office. 
You  can  see  that  he  did  not  take  me  up  into 
the  mountains  to  murder  me,  as  the  papers  say 
this  morning.  Damned  rot.  Nobody's  busi 
ness  but  my  own  if  I  concluded  to  come  east 
without  telling  everybody  in  Butte  about  it. 

"I  am  here  and  so  is  the  money.  Got  in  last 
night.  Harrison  came  from  Chicago  a  day 
ahead  of  me.  I  went  to  office  of  G.  &  R.  at 
eight  this  morning.  Found  them  in  a  hell  of 
a  stew.  Thought  I'd  skipped  out  or  been 
murdered.  Money  all  gone,  everything  gone 
to  smash.  That's  what  they  thought.  Don't 
blame  'em  much.  You  see  it  was  this  way:  I 
concluded  to  follow  out  the  terms  of  the  will 
and  deliver  the  goods  in  person.  I  got 
together  all  of  Jim  Sedgwick's  stuff  and  did  a 
lot  of  other  fool  things,  I  suppose,  and  hiked 


THE  LAST  WORD  323 

off  to  New  York.  You'll  find  about  seven 
million  dollars'  worth  of  stuff  to  your  credit 
when  you  endorse  the  certified  checks  down  at 
Grant  &  Ripley's,  my  boy.  It's  all  here  and 
in  the  banks. 

"It's  a  mighty  decent  sort  of  wedding  gift,  I 
reckon. 

"The  lawyers  told  me  all  about  you.  Told 
me  all  about  last  night,  and  that  you  were 
going  to  be  married  this  morning.  By  this 
time  you're  comparatively  happy  with  the 
bride,  I  guess.  I  looked  over  your  report  and 
took  a  few  peeps  at  the  receipts.  They're  all 
right.  I'm  satisfied.  The  money  is  yours. 
Then  I  got  fo  thinking  that  maybe  you  wouldn't 
care  to  come  down  at  nine  o'clock,  especially 
as  you  are  just  recovering  from  the  joy  of  being 
married,  so  I  settled  with  the  lawyers  and 
they'll  settle  with  you.  If  you  have  nothing  in 
particular  to  do  this  afternoon  about  two 
o'clock,  I'd  suggest  that  you  come  to  the  hotel 
and  we'll  dispose  of  a  few  formalities  that  the 
law  requires  of  us.  And  you  can  give  me  some 
lessons  in  spending  money.  I've  got  a  little 
I'd  like  to  miss  some  morning.  As  for  your 
ability  as  a  business  man,  I  have  this  to  say: 
Any  man  who  can  spend  a  million  a  year  and 
have  nothing  to  show  for  it,  don't  need  a 


324  BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

recommendation  from  anybody.  He's  in  a 
class  by  himself  and  it's  a  business  that  no  one 
else  can  give  him  a  pointer  about.  The  best 
test  of  your  real  capacity,  my  boy,  is  the  way 
you  listed  your  property  for  taxation.  It's  a 
true  sign  of  business  sagacity.  That  would 
have  decided  me  in  your  favor  if  everything 
else  had  been  against  you. 

"I'm  sorry  you've  been  worried  about  all 
this.  You  have  gone  through  a  good  deal  in  a 
year  and  you  have  been  roasted  from  Hades  to 
breakfast  by  everybody.  Now  it's  your  turn 
to  laugh.  It  will  surprise  them  to  read  the 
"extras"  to-day.  I've  done  my  duty  to  you 
in  more  ways  than  one.  I've  got  myself 
interviewed  by  the  newspapers  and  to-day 
they'll  print  the  whole  truth  about  Mont 
gomery  Brewster  and  his  millions.  They've 
got  the  Sedgwick  will  and  my  story  and  the 
old  town  will  boil  with  excitement.  I  guess 
you'll  be  squared  before  the  world,  all  right. 
You'd  better  stay  indoors  for  awhile  though, 
if  you  want  to  have  a  quiet  honeymoon. 

"I  don't  like  New  York.  Never  did.  Am 
going  back  to  Butte  to-night.  Out  there  we 
have  real  sky-scrapers  and  they  are  not  built 
of  brick.  They  are  two  or  three  miles  high  and 
they  have  gold  in  'em.  There  is  real  grass  in 


THE  LAST  WORD  325 

the  lowlands  and  we  have  valleys  that  make 
Central  Park  look  like  a  half  an  inch  of  noth 
ing.  Probably  you  and  Mrs.  Brewster  were 
going  to  take  a  wedding  trip,  so  why  not  go 
west  with  me  in  my  car?  We  start  at  7:45  P.M. 
and  I  won't  bother  you.  Then  you  can  take  it 
anywhere  you  like. 

"Sincerely  yours, 

"SWEARENGEN  JONES. 

"P.S.  I  forgot  to  say  there  is  no  such  man  as 
Golden.  I  bought  your  mines  and  ranches 
with  my  own  money.  You  may  buy  them  back 
at  the  same  figures.  I'd  advise  you  to  do  it. 
They'll  be  worth  twice  as  much  in  a  year.  I 
hope  you'll  forgive  the  whims  of  an  old  man 
who  has  liked  you  from  the  start.  J. " 

THE   END. 


PRINTED  BY  R.  R.  DONNELLEY 
AND  SONS  COMPANY,  AT  THE 
LAKESIDE  PRESS,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 


THE  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY   OF  CAUF.QRIB* 
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